News & Announcements

MEXICO CITY, October 1, 2019 — The National Police Foundation recently hosted a Public Safety Best Practices Conference in Mexico City, MX, with the support of the Commission on Accreditation for Law Enforcement Agencies, Inc. (CALEA). This conference was attended by Law Enforcement Executives and staff from Mexican state and local agencies pursuing CALEA Accreditation or already CALEA accredited. During the conference, executives discussed how they successfully promoted professionalism and strengthened their agencies through CALEA accreditation. The National Police Foundation, with funding support from the U.S. Department of State, is currently providing technical assistance to over 60 agencies across Mexico, including police departments, training academies, and communications centers, to help them earn CALEA accreditation.

“CALEA accreditation brings many positive changes to agencies and sets the foundation for agencies to build on their professionalism & strengthen their organization,” said Jim Burch, President of the National Police Foundation, during the conference. “We think CALEA accreditation is an important signal for agencies to give to their communities, showing their commitment to pursuing professionalism. They are opening themselves up to an independent body to determine if the agency is meeting international standards through their policies and practices. This will go a long way toward building trust with the community and says a lot about what the agency is trying to achieve.”

The National Police Foundation recently completed a comprehensive needs assessment focused on recruiting and retention of police officers as a foundational step to assessing staffing needs.  The five-month effort produced data-driven findings and recommendations based on department challenges, research evidence, and best practices from across the nation. On September 24, 2019, Chief Brett Meade (ret.), Senior Program Manager, provided a high-level presentation of the report, findings, and recommendations to the Santa Fe Mayor and City Council. For more information, please see the press release below issued by the City.

PRESS RELEASE

City of Santa Fe Releases National Police Foundation Report on Police Department Strengths, Weaknesses and Opportunities

Department Has Top-Notch Reputation, Faces Staffing, Recruitment and Retention Challenges

SANTA FE, September 19, 2019 – In early 2019 the City of Santa Fe asked the National Police Foundation (NPF) to provide an assessment of pressing personnel and staffing needs, and to make recommendations for how the department could improve recruitment and retention. The City took this proactive step in order to be able to work with unbiased assessments and to improve an already-excellent department.

“Throughout my administration, we have completed a series of assessments and eight audits across the city, as we continue to demonstrate our willingness to improve performance,” said Mayor Webber. “Our collaboration with the Police Foundation to assess our strengths and weaknesses, and to leverage their experience working with other municipalities, allows us to build on the work we have through the signing payments, retention pay, and pay increases.”

“The Foundation brings a wealth of knowledge and having the support and partnership of the Mayor on this has made it a valuable experience,” said Police Chief Andrew Padilla.  “We already have an amazing community that supports our department. The City will continue to offer great benefits and competitive pay, all things we hope will help our recruiting efforts.”

The report includes the following findings and recommendations:

• The SFPD has a reputation as a progressive department that selects excellent recruits and provides them with top-notch training and equipment
• SFPD has a positive relationship with union leadership, and a new contract that provides raises and facilitates recruitment and retention
• Recruitment is a national problem hitting departments across the country; SFPD vacancy rate sits at about 30 vacancies
• Recommending better marketing, faster hiring process, and using civilians in certain positions

“Departments across the country are facing these same issues. Ours was exacerbated by the City of Albuquerque’s dramatic pay increase,” said Mayor Webber. “Some recommendations are easy fixes and others are a little more complex, but we are convinced we’re on the right track.”

“We are a young police department, with new officers, new supervisors and commanders,” said Chief Padilla, “and we are constantly evolving, learning and striving for the best for our police officers, their families and our community.”

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The National Police Foundation has issued an open letter to elected officials and policymakers at the Federal, State and Local levels regarding law enforcement’s use of facial recognition technology. Our letter, titled “Promoting Accountability Instead of Banning Efficient Justice: A Letter to Local, State and Federal Elected Leaders on Law Enforcement Use of Facial Recognition” can be found below.

Agencies across the country are using survey data to make informed decisions relating to officer safety and wellness, technology, and police-community relations.  

What is the Platform? 

The National Law Enforcement Applied Research and Data Platform, funded by the National Institute of Justice (NIJ) and facilitated through the National Police Foundation, is a research initiative aimed at delivering actionable survey data to police executives to help inform policy, procedure, training, and strategy. The Platform is a collaborative effort between participating agencies (the Platform community) and National Police Foundation senior researchers and programs staff.

The Platform consists of internal officer, professional staff, and external community/police-community interaction surveys —allowing agency decisionmakers to assess their department from multiple perspectives.

Surveys

The Platform currently uses three core internal surveys to provide agencies with actionable data. Survey topics for sworn and non-sworn personnel include: safety and wellness; perceptions of the department and the community, and the impact of technology. The Platform also offers external community surveys in a variety of formats. These surveys measure the community’s perceptions of the department and police-community interactions.

Benefits

The Platform is funded by the National Institute of Justice (NIJ) and agencies can participate at no cost. Data is provided in near real-time, with agencies having to wait as little as 48 hours after the survey closes for results to be uploaded to the National Police Foundation’s Policing Dashboards Site— an online data visualization tool. Agencies are also provided a detailed written report within 10 business days. The Platform provides an opportunity for agencies to benchmark their results against departments of similar size and geographic location. The Platform team works with agency leadership to determine the most effective method(s) for distribution of internal and external community surveys to ensure highest response rate possible. SMS (text message) surveys are also available.

Implications for Policy & Practice

The Platform is rapidly developing a national presence and is providing a source of valuable information to major, mid-size and small departments. The growing community of Platform agencies are using survey data to inform their internal operations and their community outreach and engagement strategies.

In addition to individual agency data, researchers analyze survey data across multiple Platform agencies to identify trends and patterns across agencies of similar size or within the same geographic region. A multi-agency summary report for the officer safety and wellness and technology surveys can be found here.

Testimonials

“The Platform has been a valuable tool for our agency. We have used results from the officer safety & wellness survey to better inform training and glean resources to procure for our officers. The other surveys will allow our agency to continue to make data-driven decisions regarding technology, community relations, and internal operations. Additionally, the fact the surveys are covered through a federal grant, and are of no cost to our agency, makes it an even more valuable tool.”

– Chief Abdul D. Pridgen, Seaside Police Department, CA

“Our agency has been a member of the Platform since July 2018. The surveys are quick and capture relevant and insightful input from sworn and professional staff that helps our commanders make important decisions, backed by data. The National Police Foundation staff are extremely professional and provide detailed and easy-to-follow reports, and access to the Policing Dashboards Site visualization tool in a timely manner that break down our survey results – allowing us to implement changes and take action more quickly.”

– Chief Danielle Outlaw, Portland Police Bureau, OR

How Agencies Can Join the Platform

Agencies interested in joining the Platform can sign up at www.nationallawenforcementplatform.org.

The National Police Foundation, with funding from the Bureau of Justice Assistance’s (BJA’s) National Resource and Technical Assistance Center for Improving Law Enforcement Investigations Project (NRTAC) and the Local Law Enforcement Crime Gun Intelligence Center (CGIC) Integration Initiative, and its partnership with the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives (ATF), will begin providing TTA to new FY19 CGIC grantees in October.

Background on CGICs 

The National Crime Gun Intelligence Center Initiative supports local multidisciplinary teams in their efforts to prevent violent crime by identifying perpetrators, linking criminal activities, and identifying sources of crime guns for immediate disruption, investigation, and prosecution.

These efforts and others are all components of Crime Gun Intelligence Centers (CGICs), an innovative and collaborative concept developed by the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives (ATF).

CGICs rely on an ongoing collaboration between the ATF, local police department, the local crime laboratory, probation and parole, local police gang units, prosecuting attorneys, U.S. Attorney’s Office, crime analysts, community groups, and academic organizations.

The primary outcome of a CGIC is the identification of armed violent offenders for investigation and prosecution. Other outcomes include the identification of crime gun sources, efficient resource allocation, providing decision makers with the most accurate crime data available, and increasing case closure rates, public safety, and the prevention of violent crime committed with firearms.

This program is based on the ATF Governing Board’s CGIC best practices, coupled with proactive law enforcement practices that provide timely ballistics and other relevant real-time investigative leads in an effort to identify shooters, particularly those worthy of state and/or federal prosecution. Paired with effective evidenced-based interventions such as Focused Deterrence and Hotspot Policing, these initiatives aim to decrease the incidences of gun crime; improve gun crime investigation, clearance rates, and prosecutorial outcomes; and increase public trust and confidence in law enforcement through effective community engagement.

Request Training and Technical Assistance

To request technical assistance, training, or other resources through this initiative, agency POCs should fill out the Training and Technical Assistance Request Form at https://crimegunintelcenters.org/training-technical-assistance/.

Less than 72 hours following the latest incident in a weekend of more horrific and senseless acts of mass violence, we find ourselves faced with a sad and pathetic challenge — finding new words to express our outrage and disbelief over more lives being tragically and prematurely ended due to acts of mass violence. Just as pathetic is the thought that our previous expressions may have gone unheard, unnoticed, and discarded, as have the pleas and expressions of thousands of Americans. Our Nation is staring crisis in its face and yet many of our elected officials seem immobilized. Perhaps they have become as numb and disillusioned as the rest of us. Our plea today is that elected officials recognize this as their moment — and responsibility — to lead our Nation to a better place by taking concrete steps to prevent more of these tragedies.

As many mayors, governors, police chiefs, and sheriffs have said, these incidents do not define us as a people or a nation. Yet, in many ways, these tragic events have begun to do exactly that.

Time after time, the men and women of law enforcement, along with the organizations that support them, have spoken out following these and other tragedies. While there may be no consensus view among law enforcement and the organizations associated with them or the public about the solutions required, we are united and consistent in confronting these incidents when they occur. Law enforcement officers heroically deal with the tragedies unfolding before their very eyes, living with the pain, the trauma, and the suffering that results, all while remaining prepared to respond again. This, against a backdrop of more senseless violence that occurs each and every day in communities across America, taking one victim at a time and collectively destroying families and communities alike, often with little notice.

Following each of these incidents, it is common to ask questions about law enforcement’s preparedness to handle similar future incidents. Training in incident response tactics, firearms, team drills, “battlefield” first-aid and trauma care, cover and concealment, and more are revisited. Tactical equipment and gear are re-assessed. With each needed hour of training and each new piece of tactical equipment, we reluctantly move further and further away from the seemingly naïve view of law enforcement as community partners and problem solvers and closer to a view of law enforcement as soldiers, ready for the ultimate fire fight at any and all times. This is not what we or the families of those who serve and protect, including those who have made the ultimate sacrifice, would hope to see or wish for and it certainly should not be how we are seen as a nation.

The National Police Foundation has conducted research and developed policy proposals to strengthen criminal justice system responses to gun violence for decades. Our Center for Mass Violence Response Studies was recently established to learn more from these mass violence incidents 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. We will continue these and many other efforts and will do all we can to support law enforcement, support our communities, and to support the victims and their families who are affected by these outrageous acts. The talent and resources of our entire organization and of our Center for Mass Violence Studies is at the disposal of anyone committed to taking concrete steps to address mass violence.

This statement is intended to serve as our statement today, tomorrow, and the next day and so on. We are shocked. We are outraged. We are indescribably saddened by the impacts of violence within our communities and we are utterly disappointed that we need to continue to issue these statements in the hope that someone will do something. Our views on these issues have been repeatedly expressed and shared. The National Police Foundation remains committed to engaging policymakers at all levels to address this issue.

The thought that our collective expressions of outrage have been insufficiently noticed is deeply troubling. As a society, we must come together to never accept inaction. We challenge our elected officials and policymakers to do what law enforcement officers do every day — confront these challenges by running to them as opposed to away from them.

— James Burch, National Police Foundation President

The Evidence-Based Policing Hall of Fame recognizes innovative law enforcement practitioners who have been relentless champions of institutionalizing the use of research, analysis, and evidence-based practices in their agencies. Since the inception of the Hall in 2010, 43 individuals have been inducted into the Evidence-Based Policing Hall of Fame. Last week, at the annual Center for Evidence-Based Crime Policy Symposium at George Mason University, six new members were inducted.

Jim Burch, President of the National Police Foundation, inducts Chief Howard Hall and Assistant Chief James Chapman of the Roanoke County (VA) Police Department into the Evidence-Based Policing Hall of Fame during the Awards Ceremony. (Photo by Max Taylor)

Learn more about each of the inductees below.

Chief Howard Hall and Assistant Chief James Chapman 

Chief Howard Hall and Assistant Chief James Chapman are members of the Roanoke County, Virginia, Police Department. Chief Hall has served as chief of RCPD since 2012, after retiring from 26 years of service with the Baltimore County Police Department. Assistant Chief Chapman has served Roanoke County for 24 years. They were nominated by Professors Sue-Ming Yang and Charlotte Gill of George Mason University.

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ANNAPOLIS — The National Police Foundation and Major League Lacrosse Chesapeake Bayhawks have partnered for the Bayhawks third annual Hometown Hero and First Responders Appreciation Night on Saturday, June 29, at 6 p.m. at the Navy-Marine Corps Memorial Stadium in Annapolis, MD.     

The team’s home opener against the Atlanta Blaze will feature a first responders exhibition game and a post-game fireworks show. Community partners for the game include the Anne Arundel County Police Department, Anne Arundel County Fire Department, United States Coast Guard, National Police Foundation and the National Fallen Firefighters Foundation.

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Jim Burch (left), President of the National Police Foundation; Lawrence W. Sherman (middle), Director of the Jerry Lee Centre of Experimental Criminology and Wolfson Professor of Criminology Emeritus at the University of Cambridge, Chair of the Cambridge Police Executive Program, and Distinguished Professor at University of Maryland; David Weisburd (right), Distinguished Professor at George Mason University, Executive Director of the Center for Evidence-Based Crime Policy, and Walter E. Meyer Professor of Law and Criminal Justice at the Hebrew University Faculty of Law in Jerusalem.

This week, Jim Burch, President of the National Police Foundation, will attend and participate in the 2019 Drapkin Symposium on Evidence-Based Policing at Hebrew University in Jerusalem, Israel. Jim will join renowned criminologists and policing researchers from the US, the UK, Australia and Israel in addressing Evidence-Based Policing. Jim’s remarks will focus on the challenges of adopting Evidence-Based Policing from a practitioner perspective.

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