April 3, 2019 — This month’s newsletter features our police professionalism and public safety accreditation work in Mexico in collaboration with CALEA and INL, two new publications on UAS implementation and Early Intervention System implementation, a new OnPolicing blog, resources for agencies, NPF Policing Fellows spotlight, upcoming events, and more!
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The report, entitled Building and Managing a Successful Public Safety UAS Program: Practical Guidance and Lessons Learned from the Early Adopters, examines seven public safety agencies that were among the very first agencies in the country to deploy UAS. Drawing upon the experience from these early adopting agencies, the report provides practitioners, with or without aviation experience, with practical guidance on the development of a UAS program, including considerations such as community engagement, regulatory compliance, UAS policies and procedures, training, system selection, and data collection. The report also provides a variety of resources that may prove helpful in the management of a UAS program.
To view or download a copy of the report, please click here.
Law enforcement agencies in 21 out of 32 states in Mexico aim to achieve the “gold standard” in public safety accreditation
MEXICO CITY, March 12, 2019 — Law enforcement agencies in more than half of all states in Mexico have officially committed to pursuing international law enforcement accreditation through the Commission on Accreditation for Law Enforcement Agencies, Inc. (CALEA). CALEA was established in 1979 and is a credentialing authority that awards accreditation to public safety agencies in the US, Canada, Barbados and Mexico that demonstrate meeting an established set of professional standards based on industry best practices.
This initiative, made available to law enforcement agencies in Mexico, is funded by the U.S. Department of State’s Merida Initiative, with additional training and technical assistance provided by the Police Foundation.
There are currently 50 state, municipal, and federal public safety agencies pursuing or maintaining CALEA accreditation in Mexico, including police departments, public safety training academies, and public safety communication centers. In November of 2018, CALEA inaugurated its first accreditation hearing in Mexico City, where six Mexican law enforcement agencies presented before CALEA’s Board of Commissioners and earned CALEA accreditation. These agencies are required to undergo annual on-line audits and an on-site evaluation by trained CALEA Assessors every four years in order to maintain their accredited status.
“The growing number of Mexican law enforcement agencies interested in pursuing CALEA accreditation demonstrates a commitment to organizational improvement, excellence, and professionalism — not just in one state, but across the entire country of Mexico,” said Jim Burch, the Interim President of the Police Foundation. “We are optimistic that even more Mexican agencies will apply to earn CALEA accreditation, demonstrating significant commitment to professionalism by Mexican law enforcement and new hope for Mexican citizens.”
Law enforcement agencies achieve accreditation following a multi-year self-assessment phase and a meticulous site-based assessment of community engagement, policy, procedures, equipment and facilities by CALEA Assessors. Each agency then goes before CALEA’s Board of Commissioners, which reviews all findings and makes an independent determination if the agency complies with all applicable CALEA standards before conferring accredited status.
With regard to the significance of Mexican law enforcement earning CALEA accreditation, Tobin Bradley, Director of the Merida Initiative office at the U.S. Embassy in Mexico, stated, “Accreditation increases public trust in institutions; it gives citizens confidence that their complaints will be heard, that their police forces will do what they should, and if they don’t – that they will be held accountable.”
CALEA’s Executive Director W. Craig Hartley, Jr. added, “The process of CALEA accreditation is a proven model for success in public safety. CALEA’s partnership with the National Police Foundation and the United States Department of State serves to further assist public safety leaders and practitioners in Mexico to achieve continuous organizational improvement.”
“We are honored to provide technical assistance and guidance to 39 Mexican public safety agencies, including 18 training academies, 11 communications centers, and 10 law enforcement agencies, as they pursue international accreditation through CALEA and we are grateful for the State Department’s critical support,” said Jim Burch, Interim President of the National Police Foundation. “This program has already resulted in the accreditation of multiple agencies across Mexico and has generated interest from dozens of others, demonstrating a strong desire to enhance professionalism and to advance Mexican policing.”
Background:
The Merida Initiativeis a bilateral security cooperation agreement between Mexico and the United States of America. Through nearly ten years of implementation, the Merida Initiative has led to greater cooperation between the United States and Mexico. It provides tangible support to Mexico’s law enforcement and judicial institutions, strengthens border security, and helps to counteract the activities of transnational criminal organizations and the illegal trade in narcotics. To date, through the Mérida Initiative the United States has delivered USD 1.8 billion in equipment, training, and capacity building assistance to the government of Mexico.
The Commission on Accreditation for Law Enforcement Agencies, Inc., (CALEA®) was created in 1979 as an independent, not-for-profit credentialing authority. The purpose of CALEA’s Accreditation Programs is to improve the delivery of public safety services, primarily by: maintaining a body of standards, developed by public safety practitioners, covering a wide range of up-to-date public safety initiatives; establishing and administering an accreditation process; and recognizing professional excellence. This accreditation program provides public safety agencies an opportunity to voluntarily demonstrate that they meet an established set of professional standards based on industry best practices and approved by an all-volunteer board of commissioners.
The Police Foundationis a U.S.-based, non-partisan, non-profit organization dedicated to advancing policing through innovation and science. For nearly 50 years, the Police Foundation has conducted research on all aspects of policing, provided training and technical assistance in all aspects of policing, and has led the way in promoting and sharing evidence-based practices and innovation among law enforcement in the U.S. and internationally. For more information on the Police Foundation, please visit www.policefoundation.org (www.fundacionpolicia.org.mx). For media inquiries, please contact media@policefoundation.org.
From left to right: Dr. Dusty Blakey, Ed.D., Superintendent, Colonial School District, New Castle, DE Jim Accomando, President, National PTA Board of Directors, Fairfield, CT Kristina Alzugaray, Student and SAVE Promise Club National Youth Advisory Board Member, Cutler Bay High School, Cutler Bay, FL Moderator: Mark Barden, Parent and Managing Director, Sandy Hook Promise, Newtown, CT Mark O’Neill: Center Roads Solutions Frank Straub, Ph.D., Director, Center for Mass Violence Response Studies, The Police Foundation, Battle Creek, MI
March 8, 2019 — Dr. Frank Straub, Director of Strategic Studies and the Center for Mass Violence Response Studies at the National Police Foundation, participated in the Sandy Hook Promise and AASA (The School Superintendents Association) Congressional Briefing today on “Keeping Students Safe: Proven Programs to Prevent School Violence.”
Dr. Straub, who oversees the National Police Foundation’s Averted School Violence Database, joined four other panelists (Mark Barden, Parent and Managing Director, Sandy Hook Promise; Jim Accomando, President, National PTA; Dr. Dusty Blakey, Superintendent, Colonial School District, New Castle, Delaware; Kristina Alguzaray, Student, Cutler Bay High School, Cutler Bay, FL) to speak to a room full of Congressional Staffers, advocacy organizations in the education, mental health and law enforcement field, and the press in order to educate senior-level Congressional staff on violence prevention programming, examples from education and law enforcement officials on school violence prevention, and perspectives from students and administrators on proven methods for student safety.
Dr. Frank Straub was asked several key questions relating to school safety based on data collected through the National Police Foundation’s Averted School Violence Database.
From your research on averted school violence, what is the most surprising thing you have learned as it relates to school shootings?
“I think there is a very important theme that emerged from our research – we have to spend more time on the prevention piece of the discussion. By that I mean we have to focus on developing supportive and resilient cultures in school environments that set- up all students for success. Within that context we have to put in place thoughtful policies and strategies to identify students who are becoming disenfranchised and/or isolated from their peers and adult role models – either because of bullying and other behaviors that adversely effect students who are ‘different’ or because of personal, family or other challenges that are causing them to withdraw.
We need to increase funding for mental health practitioners in school environments; school resource officer mental health/crisis intervention training that is specific to the social/emotional/intellectual developmental stages of the student populations they serve; greater emphasis on adverse childhood experiences (ACE) and trauma-informed approaches; encouraging supportive social-emotional and normative learning environments.
Sometimes our work needs to be about returning to the basics of education – ensuring that allstudents have the opportunities they need for success and engaging those students who are becoming isolated and disconnected.”
Based on your research, what policy recommendations would you make to Congress in this area?
“I think it is important for Congress to support holistic approaches to prevention, response and recovery. Local and state-level anonymous reporting systems are invaluable to protecting our children and should be linked to the Averted School Violence Database to create a national ‘public health’ surveillance system to provide solid data to policy makers, educators, law enforcement, mental health providers and the public on what works to protect our children.”
For more information on the the Averted School Violence initiative, please visit the ASV website.
The National Police Foundation is very pleased to announce a new partnership with the Major County Sheriffs of America (MCSA) to serve as MCSA’s research partner. Our goal is to provide independent and objective research on a variety of issues, translational services, policy analysis, technology assessments and reviews, evaluations, and the development of promising and evidence-based resources for the MCSA. This work will be done in support of MCSA’s mission and in recognition of their leading role in American policing.
The National Police Foundation’s mission is to advance policing through innovation and science. We are the oldest nationally-known, nonprofit (501c3), nonpartisan, and non-membership-driven organization dedicated to improving America’s most noble profession – policing. Our work promotes research and innovation to reduce and prevent violent crime, improve officer safety and wellness, advance police organizations, and promote science and evidence-based practices in policing.
The Major County Sheriffs of America (MCSA) is a professional law enforcement association of elected sheriffs representing counties or parishes with 500,000 population or more. They are dedicated to preserving the highest integrity in law enforcement and the elected Office of the Sheriff. Their membership represents over 100 million Americans. MCSA works to promote a greater understanding of law enforcement strategies to address futures problems and identify law enforcement challenges facing their members. MCSA is committed to advancing legislative issues that will enhance the safety of communities, and also aggressively pursues the development of innovative education along with prevention and enforcement strategies and programs.
The first report, entitled A Preliminary Report on the Police Foundation’s Averted School Violence Database, analyzes 51 averted incidents of school violence selected from the Averted School Violence database to begin to improve our understanding of averted school attacks. The report begins with a case study of one averted attack and then details findings on the 51 averted incidents in the study. It concludes with recommendations for law enforcement and school administration to improve school safety. To view and download the report, click here.
As a companion to the first report, the second report, entitled A Comparison of Averted and Completed School Attacks from the Police Foundation Averted School Violence Database, compares and analyzes 51 completed acts of school violence with 51 averted incidents from the ASV database. It includes findings on the demographics of individuals who plan attacks, victims’ demographics in completed attacks, and community characteristics. The report also provides important recommendations to minimize school violence and improve student and school safety. To view and download the report, click here.
The Averted School Violence database was developed to systematically collect and analyze incidents of averted and completed acts of school violence, submitted by school safety practitioners, to identify promising practices in order to grow the body of knowledge related to successful attack prevention. Please help us grow this body of knowledge by submitting all such incidents at avertedschoolviolence.org. The ten minutes you take to report an incident can provide lessons learned that can save lives.
February 7, 2019, WASHINGTON — To further its mission to advance public safety through innovation and science, the National Police Foundation — a non-partisan and non-profit research organization — recently launched the Center for Mass Violence Response Studieswebsite. The Center was originally established in July of 2018 and now has its own designated website, where public and school safety officials, government and community leaders, and law enforcement can access important research, reports, and other information collected and produced by the National Police Foundation to help inform policy and procedure relating to the prevention, response, and recovery from mass violence. The mission of the Center is to serve as an innovation incubator that builds on the Foundation’s expertise and provides a platform to bring persons and organizations together that are dedicated to preventing extremism and mass violence and improving the response and recovery from these tragic events.
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 leverages the National Police Foundation’s expertise and its unique position as an independent organization to advise federal, state, and local public safety officials regarding the prevention, response and recovery from mass violence events. The Center features research in five key areas: countering violence and extremism, averted school violence, critical incident reviews, first responder safety & wellness, and a state-by-state legislative review of school safety standards and legislation. The Center conducts objective policy-relevant research, critical incident reviews, and provides training and technical assistance to inform strategic thinking, expand knowledge, and advance public safety policies and practices.
“Public safety, law enforcement, policy makers and government leaders can gain valuable insights from research, data, and case studies that illuminate best practices and critical focus areas to enhance the prevention, response and recovery from mass violence incidents,” said Jim Burch, Interim President of the National Police Foundation. “Drawing from key research studies and critical incident reviews, the Center for Mass Violence Response Studies will provide valuable resources to agencies responsible for ensuring public safety in communities across the U.S. and internationally.”
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 National Police Foundation developed and administers the Averted School Violence database. The Foundation also conducted a state by state review of school facility and building safety and security standards and is leading a Department of Homeland Security countering extremism and violence project in the Boston area.
Dr. Frank Straub is the Director of the Center for Mass Violence Response Studies and oversees the Foundation’s public safety, terrorism, school safety and youth violence initiatives.
Established in 1970, the National Police Foundation is a national, 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. 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 inquiries, please contact Dr. Frank Straub, Director of the Center for Mass Violence Response Studies, by email at media@policefoundation.org or by phone at 202-833-1460.
In January of 2019, the National Police Foundation launched a monthly email newsletter that is distributed to individuals subscribed to the Foundation’s mailing list. Our monthly Policing Updates emails are intended to keep those involved in the criminal justice and law enforcement field informed and updated on important research, noteworthy publications, training opportunities and upcoming events, and more.
We encourage police executives and officers, criminal justice researchers and professors, local and government leaders, and community members to join our mailing list to receive our monthly newsletter and other important information and resources relevant to your needs and interests within the criminal justice field.
We look forward to engaging with you!
Register today for upcoming Public Safety Technology Summit and hear from speakers including law enforcement executives and criminal justice experts.
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“What FRA does and the way they focus the conferences and the information presented is extremely valuable,” says Dan Mark, a Lieutenant for the City of Aurora Police Department in Colorado. Mark will chair the Body-Worn Camera (BWC) Summit, alongside Major Christian P. Quinn, Commander: Cyber & Forensics Bureau for the Fairfax County Police Department in Virginia, who will chair the UAS & Counter Drone Summit conference.
“The two prongs of the conference are both timely and important,” Quinn says, noting that the information presented and shared is beneficial to the broader community.
Featuring 25 speakers and nearly 30 sessions that address critical law enforcement topics, here is just a sampling of what you’ll will learn:
The Future of UAV Tech and Policy
Speakers:
Major Christian P. Quinn, Commander – Cyber & Forensics Bureau, Fairfax County Police Department, Virginia
David Makin, Assistant Professor – Department of Criminal Justice and Criminology, Washington State Institute for Criminal Justice.
While it may be difficult to conceive of artificial intelligence being used with UAV, Quinn says that eventually it will be possible, and agencies will have to work with the community to see if they are amenable to it. The two will also explore potential uses of drones in the future and what agencies should think about now while drones don’t have those capabilities.
Manage Digital Evidence Overload
Speaker:
Dan Mark, Lieutenant, City of Aurora Police Department in Colorado
Agencies that do maintain the evidences on their premises must also comply with requirements to back up the evidence. In addition, Mark says agencies must consider staffing needs to manage and handle requests for video. The session will look at all the moving parts involved with digital evidence that agencies don’t think about when they start their BWC programs.
Learn more about other topics being covered.
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This program may be eligible for reimbursement under your state’s Commission on Peace Officers Standards and Training (POST) plan. Please contact your agency’s representative to determine eligibility and requirements.
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Phone Number: 704-341-2647
Email: tjohnson@fraconferences.com
NEW YORK — At the conclusion of a two-day Regional Information Sharing Summit hosted by the New Jersey State Police, the New York Police Department and many other federal, state and local law enforcement agencies spanning the I-95 Corridor, law enforcement leaders concluded that existing information technology continues to provide public safety advantages while emerging technologies hold incredible promise for future capabilities to prevent and effectively intervene against violent and serious crime and the networks that perpetrate such crime.
“Selecting and implementing new technology in law enforcement deserves and requires unique considerations, not the least of which is the impact on officers and the community.” – Jim Burch, @PoliceFound on partnership with @ijisinstitute and @RutgersSCJ
During the Summit, a new national partnership among the IJIS Institute, the National Police Foundation, and the Center on Policing at Rutgers University was announced, offering a unique and customized training program for federal, state and local law enforcement executives, managers and staff who are seeking or implementing emerging and enhanced technologies in their agencies.
The public safety community is often overwhelmed by the amount and sophistication of new technologies available to agencies, with developers and marketers promising the best and most advanced technologies available. Yet no formal training program to prepare executives for the process of sorting through the available technologies, selecting the most appropriate solutions, and effectively implementing the solution within the agency’s existing environment and consistent with community norms and expectations is available specifically for law enforcement and public safety.
“The exploding introduction of new technologies in policing makes it very difficult for police executives to know what a given technology can do to improve operations and what pitfalls should be avoided,” said Ashwini Jarral, Executive Director of the IJIS institute. “This training program offers practical advice on selecting and managing technology implementation.”
The partnership will launch with an inaugural seminar entitled “The Promises & Perils of Law Enforcement Information Technologies.” The two-day executive seminar offers case-studies on current and emerging information technologies and the benefits and challenges that such technologies may bring. The seminar will emphasize lessons learned in harnessing the benefits of such technologies and mitigating the risks through proven strategies and strong project management and planning.
“Police executives and other staff overseeing the selection and implementation of new technologies in law enforcement can learn from the valuable lessons of others, including their successes and failures,” said Tom O’Reilly of the Center on Policing at Rutgers University.
Seminar topics include the discussion of justifying the adoption of new technologies, developing community support and acceptance, privacy concerns and safeguarding strategies, managing the acquisition of technology, measuring benefits, risk management, developing policies on the use of data, and more. Participants will also learn about the current and coming state of the art of police information technology.
The sponsoring partners will also be offering a course for senior managers responsible for implementing information technologies in law enforcement concentrating on best practices for managing implementation of advanced technologies. A third course will be offered for project managers. Additional courses on related topics are being considered. Technologies discussed include CAD & RMS Systems, Predictive Policing Solutions, Body Worn Cameras, License Plate Readers, Gunshot Detection and other Sensor Technologies, Early Intervention Systems, Machine Learning/Artificial Intelligence, Communications technologies including NG911 and FirstNet-related capabilities.
The seminar aims to enhance skills among law enforcement decision makers and planners that will enable them to independently consider what technology is actually needed versus desired, understanding solution and project scope and rightsizing and the implications this may have for cost, complexity and the likelihood of success, understanding basic information technologies and concepts and thinking forward about how the solutions may impact agency operations and the community perceptions, including privacy and civil liberty impacts.
“As has been said before, we cannot allow technology to happen to us and this is particularly true in policing and public safety where the needs are great, but the risks may in some cases be even greater,” said Jim Burch, Interim President of the National Police Foundation. “Selecting and implementing new technology in law enforcement deserves and requires unique considerations, not the least of which is the impact on officers and the community.”
Additional courses in Emerging Law Enforcement Information Technology and Law Enforcement Technology Project Management will be offered in 2019. Those completing the courses will receive a certificate and continuing education credits from Rutgers.
Agencies interested in receiving more information on this training initiative can sign up here.
Background:
The IJIS Institute is a nonprofit alliance working to promote and enable technology in the public sector and expand the use of information to maximize safety, efficiency, and productivity. IJIS has members and associates working within and across several major public-sector domains as our areas of focus: Criminal Justice (Law Enforcement, Corrections, Courts), Public Safety (Fire, EMS, Emergency Management), Homeland Security, Health and Human Services, and Transportation. The IJIS Institute brings together the innovative thinking of the private sector and the practitioners, national practice associations, and academic organizations that are working to solve public sector information and technology challenges. Founded in 2001 as a 501(c)(3) nonprofit, the IJIS Institute includes member companies and individual associates from government, nonprofit, and educational institutions from across the United States. For more information, visit our website at: http://www.ijis.org/ and follow us on Twitter @ijisinstitute.
The Center on Policing (COP), formerly known as the Police Institute, was founded by Dr. George Kelling in 2001. Our Center is composed of individuals with a broad range of experience in the public safety arena. The COP’s mission is to integrate research and evidence-based best practices into police operations, violence reduction, problem-solving, community policing, education, training, and the development of criminal justice policy and practice. The center will achieve its goals by focusing on the following three areas: Research, Technology, and Education & Technical Assistance.
The National Police Foundation is a U.S.-based, non-partisan, non-profit organization dedicated to advancing policing through innovation and science. For nearly 50 years, the Police Foundation has conducted research, provided training and technical assistance, and has led the way in promoting and sharing evidence-based practices and innovation among law enforcement in the U.S. and internationally. The National Police Foundation is conducting research on the perceptions of police officers regarding available and needed technologies and their impacts and has recently completed a study on law enforcement units and operations related to unmanned aerial systems. In recent years, the National Police Foundation has initiated efforts to engage law enforcement agencies in assessing the privacy impacts of surveillance systems, promoted the use of open data and transparency in law enforcement, and examined the potential impacts of autonomous vehicles and robotics in policing. For more information on the National Police Foundation, please visit www.policefoundation.org or contact the Foundation at info@policefoundation.org.
National Police Foundation
Erica Richardson, 240-682-2206
erichardson@policefoundation.org
