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In 2021, New Jersey implemented new use-of-force policies, including mandatory training in de-escalation and peer intervention. But, how have these initiatives impacted officers and their day-to-day policing practices? The National Policing Institute conducted a multi-year evaluation, surveying over 31,000 officers who completed Integrating Communications, Assessment and Tactics (ICAT) and Active Bystandership for Law Enforcement (ABLE) training to assess the impact. This research offers a rare look into how officers perceive these training efforts and what it means for public safety….

The Federal Bureau of Investigation’s Internet Crime Complaint Center (IC3) has released its latest annual report. The “2024 Internet Crime Report” combines information from 859,532 complaints of suspected Internet crime and details reported losses exceeding $16 billion – a 33% increase in losses from 2023. According to the 2024 report, Alabama is ranked 26 out of all states in the number of complaints received by the public. As a group, people over the age of 60 suffered the most losses at over…

The DEA has a new Web page on the Diversion Control Division Website dedicated to ketamine. Ketamine is a dissociative anesthetic which has some hallucinogenic effects. It distorts the perception of sight and sound and makes the user feel disconnected and not in control. It is referred to as a “dissociative anesthetic hallucinogen” because it makes patients feel detached from their pain and environment. Learn more about ketamine trends, common street names, and enforcement related to the drug

The Preliminary Law Enforcement Investigation Checklist is intended to assist patrol and school resource officers in asking the appropriate questions to assess for imminent risk of harm and to identify factors which may require additional resources to assist students. The first part of the checklist consists of questions designed to establish Motive, Opportunity, Means, and Intent (MOM-I), and the second focuses on assessing whether the individual being questioned is experiencing life challenges which may increase the risk of self-harm or…

Local law enforcement agencies across the United States have hired School Resource Officers (SROs) nationwide to improve and preserve safety in schools, often using grants from the Office of Community Oriented Policing Services (COPS Office). This flyer outlines 13 principles to guide the COPS Office’s work relating to SROs and jurisdictions choosing to implement SRO programs. These principles should not limit communities in their consideration of the range of programs and interventions which can help improve safety on school campuses….

Technology has advanced to the point that automatic or autonomous vehicles – self-driving cars – are a meaningful possibility for the near future. Rather than waiting until a significant number of vehicles are operating without direct human control to assess the public safety implications of such a circumstance, this publication discusses the potential benefits and drawbacks of the increasing use of this type of technology and outlines the anticipated differences in the ways law enforcement will be called upon to…

Missing persons cases can consume a lot of police and other resources – more than is commonly realized. Moreover, in high-profile cases, police executives can feel a great deal of pressure to authorize those resources to maximize the chances of locating the person and to be seen as doing all that they can. Missing Persons (part of the Problem-Oriented Guides for Police series) describes the problem of missing persons, reviews risk factors and poses a series of questions to help…

An FBI database established in 2021 to help prevent law enforcement suicides and increase awareness and understanding of the occurrences is now online. The Law Enforcement Suicide Data Collection (LESDC) was recently added to the FBI’s Crime Data Explorer platform, a dynamic online clearinghouse of FBI statistics and research. The collection displays the most current information about suicides and suicide attempts from participating law enforcement agencies. Data includes circumstances surrounding law enforcement suicides and suicide attempts, general locations, demographics, occupations, and the methods used….

Forensic data often remains archived in state and local labs which is only used to solve and prosecute individual crimes. Using a forensic intelligence approach instead, agencies can use datasets to link and track crime patterns, helping to solve, disrupt and prevent crime.   The NIJ Forensic Intelligence Framework provides guidance for state and local law enforcement agencies and their forensic laboratories to develop or enhance a forensic intelligence program.   The benefits of forensic intelligence practices include:  Early identification and elimination…

Bloodstain pattern analysis is a forensic science discipline which reconstructs a blood shedding event and can provide crucial evidence in some legal cases.   Several reports have questioned the validity of bloodstain pattern analysis, including a 2009 National Research Council report and one in 2016 by the President’s Council of Advisors on Science and Technology. These reports called for more objective methods in forensic science and a better understanding of the error rates of current practices.   In response, the…