21September
2018

National Police Foundation to Attend International Summit in India on Countering Violence and Extremism

The National Police Foundation and From India with Love, an initiative of the International Association for Human Values, to collaborate and explore opportunities to counter violence and extremism through Ghandi’s principals of nonviolence and compassion.

MUMBAI, India–(BUSINESS WIRE)–Dr. Frank Straub, Director of Center for Mass Violence Response Studies at the National Police Foundation, and Chief (Ret.) Dean Esserman, Senior Counselor at the National Police Foundation, will travel to India to attend a global summit, organized by Mandar Apte, the Founder and Executive Director of From India with Love, on countering violence and extremism.

Our participation in the world summit and collaboration with From India with Love will create new opportunities to work with police leaders to identify innovative responses to violence & extremism. #NonViolenceSummit2018

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The international summit will bring together police officials, political and community leaders from across the United States and India to study Mahatma Ghandi’s principles of nonviolence. The summit coincides with the 149^thanniversary of Ghandi’s birth and a year of celebration and reflection in India.

At the summit, the National Police Foundation, through its recently formed Center for Mass Violence Response Studies, will collaborate with From India with Love, to identify opportunities to reduce violence and improve policing through India’s ancient culture and the wisdom of nonviolence and compassion.

“The collaboration we are developing with From India with Love presents a unique and important opportunity to explore Ghandi’s principles of nonviolence and work with police and community leaders to counter violence and extremism,” said Chief (Ret.) Jim Bueermann, President of the National Police Foundation. “We continue to collaborate with law enforcement leaders in the United States and abroad, including Mexico, Canada and beyond to share ideas to advance policing and safety through science and innovation. We believe that our participation in the world summit and collaboration with From India with Love will create new opportunities to work with law enforcement leaders and to draw from their unique perspectives to identify responses to violence and extremism.”

The Center for Mass Violence Response Studies (CMVRS) draws on the National Police Foundation’s knowledge and experience to provide objective, thorough and actionable research; training; and, technical assistance regarding the prevention, response and recovery from mass violence events.

“As evidenced by this week’s attacks in Pennsylvania, Wisconsin and Maryland, we must endeavor to identify innovative and collaborative responses to the vexing challenge of mass violence,” said Dr. Frank Straub, Director of CMVRS. “Participation in the Summit presents a unique opportunity to learn from our international colleagues and to identify responses to violence and extremism built on the principals of non-violence and compassion.”

Ultimately, the two groups hope to strengthen connections between U.S. law enforcement and the From India with Love initiative through research and practice as they relate to preventing, responding and recovering from mass violence events.

Established in 1970, the National Police Foundation is a non-partisan, non-profit organization dedicated to improving policing through innovation and science. For nearly 50 years, the Foundation has conducted research on all aspects of policing and is leading the way in promoting and sharing evidence-based practices and innovation among law enforcement. The Foundation is currently working with hundreds of police agencies nationwide, as well as internationally, providing research and translation, training, technical assistance, and modern technology implementation.

From India with Love, an initiative of the International Association for Human Values, is a social advocacy group whose mission is to support leaders to reinvigorate the conversation about nonviolence in America from inspiration to implementation. The group offers customized leadership development programs for civic leaders to experience and study India’s ancient culture and wisdom of nonviolence and supports leaders to design solutions that will promote safer and more peaceful communities & neighborhoods. The group was founded by Mandar Apte after producing a documentary film about victims of violence from across America who embarked on a journey to India, inspired by Dr. Martin Luther King Jr., who had also visited India to study nonviolence.

For media inquiries, please contact Dr. Frank Straub, Director of Center for Mass Violence Response Studies at the National Police Foundation, at fstraub@policefoundation.org or at 202-833-1460.

30July
2018

Enhanced Interviewing Techniques to Improve Memory Recall

By Lieutenant Jason Potts
Vallejo Police Department, CA

What Happened? Who did it? And, where are they now – simple enough, right? Typical questions that police officers and investigators want answered. But all too often, we attempt to rush and control an interview by asking close-ended questions. This drive for expediency can unintentionally reinforce the victim’s sense of inadequacy, frustrate and confuse them, give off the perception they are not believed, and even re-victimize. Research shows that stress and fear can cause memory alterations and limitations ⁴. However, cognitive interviewing techniques can mitigate these effects, thus providing a more thorough account of the traumatic event. Cognitive interviewing frames questions to obtain more accurate information and details while simultaneously increasing law enforcement legitimacy in the eyes of the victim. According to several studies, cognitive interviewing elicited between 25% and 40% more statements in the cognitive interviewing groups (intervention) than the traditional methods or business as usual groups (control)^{8, 4}. Read More & Share

26July
2018

Police Foundation Launches New Center for Unmanned Aircraft Systems in Public Safety

New Police Foundation Center provides information and resources for law enforcement and communities on the use of Unmanned Aircraft Systems (UAS) in public safety

WASHINGTON — Ensuring the safety of the public is a core mission for all professional law enforcement agencies. In pursuit of this mission, law enforcement leverages many different types of tools, including new and emerging technologies. One of these latest technologies is the small-unmanned aircraft system (sUAS).

The Police Foundation is launching a new Center for law enforcement agencies considering the use of small unmanned aircraft systems. As sUAS technology continues to advance and its use becomes increasingly widespread, the goal of the Police Foundation Center for Unmanned Aircraft Systems in Public Safety is to help law enforcement navigate the equally important community policing aspects of adopting the technology, including community concerns related to privacy and civil rights, transparency and accountability, the development of policy and procedure, and operational safety. We conduct scientific research to examine the real-world challenges of policing and public safety, and work closely with policy staff in the translation of scientific findings and development of evidence-based recommendations for the field.

The website is intended as a resource to help law enforcement agencies make an informed decision on whether to acquire sUAS, and if they do, how to develop policies and procedures that will help garner public support, avoid pitfalls, and build community trust. The website is also intended to provide insight for the public on the advantages of sUAS for public safety, and the many considerations that go into sUAS program implementation.

While this type of technology has significant potential to improve operational efficiency as well as officer and community safety, there are understandable and legitimate concerns about privacy risks. To address these concerns and to improve sUAS programs, law enforcement agencies considering adopting sUAS technology are encouraged to follow the principles of community policing in their adoption and to engage their communities early on in the decision to implement a program.

“sUAS technologies provide law enforcement agencies with unique capabilities for rapid, safe, economical and effective responses to a wide variety of public safety tactical challenges,” said Jim Bueermann, President of the Police Foundation and former Chief of Police in Redlands, California. “Harnessing these capabilities requires not only the skills to operate the technology, but the input and understanding of the community and a pledge to operate the technology in a transparent manner. Taking the time to engage the community, address concerns and gain input from the community is exactly what community policing is all about.”

“Harnessing UAS capabilities requires not only the skills to operate the technology, but the input and understanding of the community and a pledge to operate the technology in a transparent manner.” – @PoliceFound President Jim Bueermann on #PFUASCenter

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The Office of Community Oriented Policing Services, U.S. Department of Justice, supported the development of this website and numerous other resources including an infographic, Five Things You Need to Know about sUAS in Law Enforcement publication, and guidebook.

Established in 1970, the Police Foundation is a national, non-partisan, non-profit organization dedicated to improving policing through innovation and science. For 48 years, the Foundation has conducted research on all aspects of policing and is leading the way in promoting and sharing evidence-based practices and innovation among law enforcement. The Foundation is currently working with hundreds of police agencies nationwide, as well as internationally, providing research and translation, training, technical assistance, and modern technology implementation. The Foundation is a leader in officer safety and wellness, community policing, open-data, investigations, and law-enforcement technology. The Foundation’s main goal is to improve the way police do their work and the delivery of police services, in order to benefit officers and the communities they serve, as well as reduce crime.

For media-related questions and inquiries related to this website, the Center and the Police Foundation’s sUAS work, please contact James Burch, Executive Vice President, at jburch@policefoundation.org or at 202-833-1460. For non-media questions and inquiries, please contact Maria Valdovinos, Senior Research Associate, at mvaldovinos@policefoundation.org. You may also visit the Police Foundation website at www.policefoundation.org for more information.

24July
2018

Police Foundation Concludes 5-year Study on “Near Repeat” Burglary Prevention Strategies

WASHINGTON, D.C., July 24, 2018 — The Police Foundation recently concluded a research study examining the phenomenon of near-repeat burglary patterns — which suggests that once a burglary occurs on a street, the homes on that street and on nearby streets are at a much higher risk of being burglarized over a relatively short time period (usually the next one to two weeks) — and to use the knowledge surrounding near repeat burglaries to develop and test a crime prevention strategy for police departments and communities to see if the patterns could be interrupted.

With funding from the National Institute of Justice, Office of Justice Programs, the Police Foundation conducted the study in two police departments — Redlands, CA, and Baltimore County, MD, in cooperation with the two principal investigators: Dr. Elizabeth Groff from Temple University and Dr. Travis Taniguchi of RTI International.

The research team sought to determine if knowledge about near repeat patterns of burglary can actually be used for crime prevention purposes. Within this framework, the Foundation attempted to determine if raising awareness about crime issues and crime prevention techniques amongst residents in the vicinity of the primary burglary locations could further reduce burglary in the area.

The project was designed to test whether quickly notifying community residents that they are at an increased risk for a burglary and sending patrol, auxiliary officers, and/or volunteers to provide residents with burglary prevention tips could interrupt the phenomena of near repeat burglaries.

The Police Foundation recently published the results of the study, including a “5 Things You Need to Know” document, research summary, strategy brief, and a technical report. These resources and other authored reports can be found by visiting the Police Foundation website or by clicking here.

20July
2018

Police Foundation Launches Law Enforcement Alexa Skills Quiz!

July 20, 2018, WASHINGTON, D.C. — The Police Foundation — a national, non-profit, independent, non-partisan, research organization dedicated to improving policing through innovation and science — is pleased to announce it recently launched its very own Amazon Alexa Skills Quiz, a cloud-based, voice-activated quiz.

“How Well Do You Know 5-O?” is a short 10-question multiple-choice quiz to test your knowledge about police officers in America (sometimes referred to in slang as “5-O” or “Five-Oh”) and the work they do. All questions are based on facts and data from national research and statistics that cover topics including average police salaries, hiring requirements, assaults and line of duty deaths, use of force, and body worn cameras.

The Police Foundation developed the quiz in an effort to improve education on law enforcement by providing factual information in a fun and interactive format that can be easily accessed.

“There is, particularly amongst the general public, uncertainty about various topics in law enforcement,” said Jim Bueermann, Police Foundation President. “That inspired us to create a police-related quiz using the Amazon Alexa platform.”

The Police Foundation is encouraging community members, friends, and family to gather around their Amazon Echo or other Alexa-enabled devices and ask Alexa how much they know about the 5-O. The Foundation also announced a social media contest in which five winners will be randomly selected to receive an exclusive custom-made Police Foundation 5-O T-Shirt. Details about the contest can be found here.

“Our goal is to share information based on research and facts, not opinions, with the public to enhance education around law enforcement in America, but in a more fun and interactive way.”

Individuals who want to take the quiz need to sign in to their Amazon account and enable the quiz through the Amazon Alexa app or website. Detailed instructions can be found here.

For media inquiries, please contact Erica Richardson at erichardson@policefoundation.org.

20July
2018

Police Foundation Director of Strategic Studies, Chief (Ret.) Frank Straub, Ph.D., Delivers Keynote Address at Campus Safety Conference East 2018

Chief (Ret.) Frank Straub, Ph.D., of the Police Foundation, delivers the keynote address at the Campus Safety Conference East. (Photo by: Police Foundation)

Hundreds of school administrators and public safety officials, including law enforcement and security professionals, convene for a 2-day conference to discuss solutions to campus safety.

July 19, 2018, WASHINGTON, D.C. – In a speech titled, “Ripples of Hope: Building Multi-Discipline Collaboration to Prevent School Violence,” Dr. Frank Straub of the Police Foundation spoke to a room full of public safety professionals and others responsible for the safety of campuses across the United States. Chief (Ret.) Straub, a 30-year veteran of local and federal law enforcement and survivor of the September 11 terrorist attacks on the World Trade Center, has “seen things people aren’t supposed to see” and can relate to the pain of those who have been affected by mass violence.

Straub’s moving keynote address commenced the Campus Safety Conference East, a 2-day intensive conference and trainings for administrators and public safety officials, technology directors, risk managers, security professionals, and law enforcement executives from all over the country looking for solutions to campus safety, security, emergency management and technology challenges.

At the conference, attendees hear from leading safety and security experts, learn strategies and tactics to reduce risk and improve incident response, learn about best practices and procedures for emergency response, receive actionable items that can be implemented immediately on campus, discover how to be better prepared for emergency situations, and make campuses safer by protecting students and faculty by preventing a crisis before it occurs.

Dr. Straub drew attention to the importance of school officials, law enforcement, policy makers, government leaders, public safety, security, and community members working together to help improve school safety.

“Protecting our nation’s schools and managing and responding to acts of violence is a shared responsibility,” said Straub. “We have to work together and collaborate to find solutions. Our children deserve to learn in safe environments.”

Straub advocated for intervening and providing more mental health services and resources to children who may be at risk of carrying out acts of violence.

Straub also highlighted several initiatives he is leading at the Police Foundation — a national non-profit, independent, non-partisan research organization dedicated to improving policing through innovation and science — and how these initiatives relate to enhancing safety at schools. These initiatives include the Averted School Violence Database, Center for Mass Violence Response Studies, After Action Assessments/Critical Incident Reviews, and a state-by-state legislative review of school facility security policies.

“By working together to improve security measures, I am optimistic we can restore a sense of safety in our schools.”

Frank G. Straub, Ph.D., is Director of Strategic Studies at the Police Foundation, a non-profit organization that studies ways to improve policing in the United States. Dr. Straub, leads the newly established Center for Mass Violence Response Studies, and has directed in-depth studies of the San Bernardino terrorist attack, the Kalamazoo mass shooting, and the Orlando Pulse nightclub shooting. He is currently leading a review of the Marjory Stoneman Douglas High School shooting.

He is a 30-year veteran of federal and local law enforcement, having served as the police chief in Spokane, Washington; the Public Safety Director in Indianapolis; the Public Safety Commissioner in White Plains, New York; and the New York City Police Department’s Deputy Commissioner of Training and Assistant Commissioner for Counterterrorism. He also served as a member of the FBI-NYPD Joint Terrorism Task Force during his tenure with the U.S. State Department’s Bureau of Diplomatic Security and the U.S. Naval Criminal Investigative Service.

Dr. Straub is a non-resident fellow at West Point’s Center for Combatting Terrorism providing expert advice regarding the domestic law enforcement response to terrorism and acts of mass public violence.

9July
2018

Police Foundation to Launch Center for Mass Violence Response Studies

In wake of increase in mass violence attacks, Police Foundation creates Center to enhance public safety, government, and community responses

July 9, 2018, WASHINGTON — To further its mission to advance public safety through innovation and science, the Police Foundation — a national, non-partisan, non-profit research organization — is establishing the Center for Mass Violence Response Studies. The mission of the Center is to prepare public safety, government, school, and business and community leaders to think critically about mass violence events, so as to develop and implement comprehensive prevention, response and recovery strategies.

@PoliceFound establishes Center for Mass Violence Response Studies to help prepare leaders to think critically about mass violence events and implement comprehensive prevention, response & recovery strategies. Learn more: policefoundation.org #PFCMVRS

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During the last decade, persons motivated by a range of ideological beliefs and individual factors have engaged in acts of mass violence targeting innocent civilians in communities across the United States. Mass violence attacks, incidents in which multiple persons are killed or injured, have increased in frequency and lethality. While incidents of mass violence, including terrorist events and school shootings, remain relatively infrequent, their effects are devastating for the survivors, families of victims, communities, first responders and the country. For public safety officials, these incidents represent crises that challenge emergency response protocols and demand actionable research to inform policies and practices.

The Center for Mass Violence Response Studies will leverage the Police Foundation’s expertise and its unique position as an independent organization to advise federal, state, and local public safety officials regarding the response to mass violence events. The Center will conduct objective policy-relevant research, critical incident reviews, and provide training and technical assistance to inform strategic thinking, expand knowledge, and advance public safety policies and practices.

“Public safety officials, policy and decision makers, and community leaders learn from research, data, and comprehensive case studies to identify what’s working and what areas can be improved to enhance public safety’s response to mass violence events,” said Chief (Ret.) Jim Bueermann, President of the Police Foundation. “As threats constantly evolve, it is critical that we continuously evaluate protocols to ensure our communities remain as safe as possible.”

The Police Foundation is uniquely positioned to expand on its knowledge and experience in researching, analyzing and educating public safety leaders and the communities they serve regarding the response to mass violence attacks.

The Foundation has conducted critical incident reviews of the San Bernardino terrorist attack, Kalamazoo shootings, and the Pulse Night Club attack. It is currently conducting a comprehensive review of the Marjory Stoneman Douglas High School shooting. In 2015, with funding from the National Institute of Justice and the Office of Community Oriented Policing Services, the Police Foundation developed and administers the Averted School Violence database. The Police Foundation is also conducting a state by state review of school facility and building safety and security standards and is leading a Countering Violent Extremism project in the Boston area.

Dr. Frank Straub, the Police Foundation’s Director of Strategic Studies, oversees the Foundation’s public safety, terrorism, school safety and youth violence initiatives and will lead the Center for Mass Violence Response Studies.

Established in 1970, the Police Foundation is a national, non-partisan, non-profit organization dedicated to improving policing through innovation and science. For 48 years, the Foundation has conducted research on all aspects of policing and is leading the way in promoting and sharing evidence-based practices and innovation among law enforcement. The Foundation is currently working with hundreds of police agencies nationwide, as well as internationally, providing research and translation, training, technical assistance, and modern technology implementation. The Foundation is a leader in officer safety and wellness, community policing, open-data, investigations, and law-enforcement technology. The Foundation’s main goal is to improve the way police do their work and the delivery of police services, in order to benefit officers and the communities they serve, as well as reduce crime.

If you would like more information on the Center, please contact Dr. Frank Straub, Director of Strategic Studies, Police Foundation, by email at fstraub@policefoundation.org or by phone at 202-833-1460. You may also visit the Center for Mass Violence Studies website at https://npfcmvrs.org/.

6July
2018

Center for Mass Violence Response Studies

To further its mission to advance public safety, the Police Foundation is establishing the Center for Mass Violence Response Studies.

The Center for Mass Violence Response Studies will leverage the Police Foundation’s expertise and its unique position as an independent organization to advise federal, state, and local public safety officials regarding the response to mass violence events. The Center will conduct objective policy-relevant research, critical incident reviews, initiate training and technical assistance programs t0 inform strategic thinking, advance public safety practice, expand policy and knowledge. The unique mission of the Center will be to prepare public safety, government, school, and community leaders to think critically about the challenges posed by mass casualty events to implement comprehensive response policies and practices.

Background

During the last decade, persons motivated by a range of ideological beliefs and individual factors have engaged in acts of mass violence targeting innocent civilians in communities across the United States. Mass violence attacks, incidents in which multiple persons are killed or injured, have increased in frequency as well as lethality.

While incidents of mass violence, including terrorist events and school shootings, remain relatively infrequent, their effects are devastating for the survivors, families of victims, communities, first responders, and the country. For public safety officials, these incidents represent crises that challenge emergency response protocols and demand actionable research, innovation and science to inform policies and practices.

Why Police Foundation?

The Police Foundation is uniquely positioned to expand on its knowledge and experience in researching, analyzing and educating public safety leaders and the communities they serve on the response to mass violence attacks. The Police Foundation has conducted critical incident reviews of the San Bernardino terrorist attack, Kalamazoo shootings and the Pulse Night Club attack. It is currently conducting a comprehensive review of the Marjory Stoneman Douglas High School shooting. The Police Foundation developed and maintains the Averted School Violence (ASV) database, is conducting a state by state review of school facility and building safety and security standards, and is leading a countering violent extremism project in the Boston area.

Point of Contact

Chief (Ret.) Frank Straub, Ph.D.
fstraub@policefoundation.org
202-833-1460

27June
2018

“Peace Officers” Are The Guardians of Our Society

By Chief David G. Dominguez (Ret.)
City of Palm Springs, CA

In 2016, our colleague, Executive Director, Sue Rahr of the Washington State Criminal Justice Training Commission wrote on the Police Foundation blog about how law enforcement has become very good at fighting crime; yet, as a profession, we are struggling; I would agree, law enforcement in the United States is at a crossroads with continuous challenges. Since that time, Police Chiefs and law enforcement executives around the country have examined how training and development occurs so recruits and officers are steeped in community and cohesion—and understand they are guardians in addition to warriors. There will always be an element of warrior, it is the part of the profession. One just needs to look at the recent increase in line of duty deaths, the mass shootings and the dangerous life-threatening situations police officers face daily.

To many this Guardian and Warrior discussion poses the question: Guardians of what? I submit that police officers are guardians of the fabric of society, not just the people. Recently, I was introduced to a new organization which was formed to address this same issue. They are called “Police2Peace” and their mission is unique and straightforward—to include the designation “Peace Officer” on law enforcement vehicles. You might ask, why would a charitable initiative be formed to distribute this message? Read More & Share

27June
2018

Alexa Skills 5-O Quiz

How Well Do YOU Know 5-O?

Ask Amazon Alexa and find out!

The Police Foundation is excited to announce it recently launched its very own Amazon Alexa Skills Quiz! “How Well Do I Know Five-Oh?” is a short 10-question multiple-choice quiz to test your knowledge about police officers in America (sometimes referred to in slang as “5-O” or “Five-Oh”) and the work they do. All questions are based on facts and data from national research and statistics and cover topics from average police salaries, hiring requirements, assaults and line of duty deaths and topics such as use of force and body worn cameras.

Instructions for enabling and taking the quiz

Log in to your Amazon account through your mobile device, tablet, or computer and go to the Amazon Skills homepage
Search all skills by the title “How Well Do I Know Five-Oh?”
Click the “Enable Skill” button
Ask Alexa, “Alexa, how well do I know five-oh?”
Alexa will automatically initiate the quiz, which is a series of 10 multiple-choice questions.
Respond to the multiple choice questions by choosing and speaking the correct response number, such as “one”, “two”, “three,” or “four.”
At the conclusion of the quiz, Alexa will tell you how many questions out of 10 you answered correctly.

Social Media Contest!

Enter by September 1, 2018, for a chance to win an exclusive Police Foundation 5-O T-shirt!

Contest details & instructions:

Take the quiz using your (or a friend’s) Amazon Echo Alexa device.
Share the graphic below on Instagram, Twitter, or Facebook with the caption: “I just took the Police Foundation 5-O Quiz on my Alexa!”
Include the hashtag #PFFiveOhQuiz
Tag a friend in your post and challenge them to take the quiz to see how much they know about the 5-O.
We will monitor contest entries through the hashtag and randomly select winners.
Up to 5 contest winners will be announced on Monday, September 3, 2018.

Good luck!

Archives Erica Richardson

By Lieutenant Jason Potts Vallejo Police Department, CA

By Chief David G. Dominguez (Ret.) City of Palm Springs, CA