Join the Vera Institute of Justice and the National Disability Rights Network for the webinar “Applying the Americans with Disabilities Act to Arrests and Prosecutions,” on Thursday, September 12 from 1:00 p.m. to 2:30 p.m. ET.
Police and prosecutors routinely encounter people with mental illnesses and developmental disabilities. In turn, it is crucial to understand how the Americans with Disabilities Act (ADA) interfaces with these types of encounters. This webinar will provide an overview of the ADA, describe how ADA applies to arrests and prosecution, and share suggestions that would benefit law enforcement and prosecutors in how to best implement solutions. During the webinar, participants will hear from Serving Safely: The National Initiative to Enhance Policing for Persons with Mental Illnesses and Developmental Disabilities – a collaborative effort between the Bureau of Justice Assistance, the Vera Institute of Justice, and partners in the fields of policing, mental illness, I/DD, crisis intervention, peer advocacy, emergency medicine, technology development, and prosecution.
Presenters will include:
- David Boyer, Staff Attorney, National Disability Rights Network; and
- Leah Pope, Senior Research Fellow, Policing Program, Vera Institute of Justice.
Register for the webinar today.
View this webinar in the TTA Catalog.
Join the Strategies for Policing Innovation for the “Data-Driven Decisionmaking” webinar on Wednesday, September 11 from 2:00 p.m. to 3:00 p.m. ET. During the webinar, participants will learn what data-driven decisionmaking entails for law enforcement agencies. The presentation will highlight data-driven decisionmaking examples drawn from SPI and the National Public Safety Partnership. In addition, the webinar will touch on how data-driven decisionmaking is institutionalized among law enforcement agencies through innovative techniques and officer buy-in. Webinar speakers will include Dr. Scott Decker, SPI Subject Expert, who will go over the practices, principles, and challenges of institutionalizing data usage. Representatives from Miami, Florida and Milwaukee, Wisconsin police departments will also discuss how they actively use data and intelligence in their daily decisionmaking processes.
Register for the webinar today.
View this webinar in the TTA Catalog.
Join the National Institute of Justice’s Forensic Technology Center of Excellence for the “Digital and Multimedia Forensics: The Impact of Disturbing Media” webinar on Wednesday, August 28 from 1:00 p.m. to 2:00 p.m. ET. During the webinar, participants will learn about the psychological impacts on digital and multimedia forensic analysts who review evidence from various criminal cases.
Technology has changed the type of evidence processed in criminal cases for law enforcement and digital forensics communities. Trends show an increase in audio, video, and image evidence of crimes. Additionally, most criminal investigations include more than one format of digital evidence. In some cases, multimedia analysts need to enhance audio/video/image evidence to better identify the individuals involved or context of a crime incident. Often, this may involve repeatedly viewing or hearing horrific situations, such as homicide, child sex abuse, and even torture.
Further, research shows criminal justice professionals can experience high levels of work-related stress, which in turn leads to psychological illness and high burnout rates among practitioners. Studies show that jobs in the criminal justice field have a significant effect on mental health. As a result, it is critical to identify successful interventions to alleviate burnout and poor psychological well-being for digital and multimedia forensic analysts. This webinar will discuss the psychological well-being, job satisfaction, and coping mechanisms of digital and multimedia forensic analysts exposed to disturbing media.
Register for the webinar today.
View the webinar in the TTA Catalog.
Join the Bureau of Justice Assistance (BJA) and the Vera Institute of Justice, through Serving Safely: The National Initiative to Enhance Policing for Persons with Mental Illnesses and Developmental Disabilities, for a webinar on Thursday, July 18 from 1:00 – 2:15 p.m. ET. During the “Intellectual and Developmental Disabilities: 10 Tips Law Enforcement Officers Need to Know” webinar, participants will learn about enhancing law enforcement responses to people with mental illnesses (MI) and intellectual/developmental disabilities (I/DD).
The webinar will share 10 practical tips that law enforcement officers can use to effectively serve individuals with MI and I/DD. Attendees will also receive information on available specialized training for officers, such as the "Pathways to Justice" law enforcement module.
Learn more about the Serving Safely initiative by accessing an overview webinar hosted by BJA on February 13, 2019, “Serving Safely: Enhancing Policing for Persons with Mental Illnesses and Developmental Disabilities,” and stay tuned for future webinar events related to this key justice subject area.
View this webinar on the TTA Catalog.
Background
The U.S. Department of Justice’s (DOJ) Project Safe Neighborhoods (PSN) program is a nationwide initiative that brings together federal, state, local, and tribal criminal justice agencies and community leaders to develop comprehensive, data-driven solutions to combat violent crime. From 2000 to 2006, independent research shows that PSN program sites achieved a 4 – 20 percent reduction in violent crime compared to non-PSN locations. As a result, in 2017, DOJ committed to strengthening PSN and its core strategies, which include:
- Developing tailored, community-based programs to meet each jurisdiction’s unique needs;
- Identifying and targeting the most violent offenders by using cutting-edge technology and intelligence; and
- Enabling prosecutors and law enforcement to incorporate prevention and reentry strategies to address violent crime.
To accomplish these tasks, all 93 U.S. Attorneys’ Offices across the nation are implementing PSN programs that feature five common elements: leadership, partnerships, targeted enforcement efforts, prevention, and accountability. Further, the Bureau of Justice Assistance (BJA) has dedicated $3 million in training and technical assistance (TTA) resources specifically designed to support the PSN program sites; state, local, and tribal law enforcement; criminal justice agencies; and practitioners along those five focus areas.
PSN Training and Technical Assistance Resources
BJA’s national-level PSN TTA providers – Michigan State University (MSU), CNA, and the National Center for Victims of Crime (NCVC) – offer no-cost, comprehensive, tailored, and expert support, resources, instruction, and information to help sites address violent crime. Assistance ranges from helping participating agencies navigate various crime analytic processes and technologies, to helping build capacity and partnerships, to helping with program planning, implementation, and sustainability. Types of TTA include onsite training, customized assessments, virtual learning and consultation, peer-to-peer exchanges, informational resources, and web resources.
Michigan State University
The TTA focus for MSU’s School of Criminal Justice is strategic problem solving and site coordination, which involves customizing the PSN program’s core strategies to meet local violent crime reduction needs. MSU helps sites conduct research and gather performance measures to better understand their capacity, gaps, and program successes. MSU can also help TTA requestors find a local research partner that can help the community assess its violent crime reduction challenges and outcomes. Additional details regarding MSU’s PSN TTA services may be found at https://psn.cj.msu.edu/tta/index.html.
CNA
CNA’s Institute for Public Research supports the implementation of law enforcement- and prosecution-related strategies at PSN sites, such as prolific offender analysis and targeting. For example, CNA may help a jurisdiction develop and review a prolific offender list, understand the types of data needed for such a list, identify and coordinate with necessary partners, and evaluate the effectiveness of approaches such as focused deterrence.
Partnering with Major Cities Chiefs Association and the National District Attorneys Association, CNA offers distance learning opportunities, direct peer exchanges, and tailored training. Additionally, CNA promotes sustainability as an outcome, ultimately leading to more effective crime reduction efforts. Additional details regarding CNA’s PSN TTA services may be found at https://psntta.org/tta-resources/topical-resources/law-enforcement-and-prosecution-strategies/.
National Center for Victims of Crime
NCVC enables PSN sites to incorporate victim-centered, trauma-informed approaches into their crime reduction efforts. The organization connects TTA requestors with information on victim services programs and partners, assesses communities’ victim services capacity, and helps jurisdictions address areas of enhancement. NCVC’s subject matter partners include the Center for Court Innovation, the National Sheriffs’ Association, the Association of Prosecuting Attorneys, and the Rape, Abuse & Incest National Network, among others. Additional details regarding NCVC’s PSN TTA services may be found at https://psntta.org/tta-resources/topical-resources/victims-centered-assistance/.
In addition to the providers above, each PSN program receives support from one of seven regional TTA teams comprised of a TTA liaison, analyst, victim services liaison, and DOJ TTA support team member. The regional TTA team provides on-call TTA support, identifies additional TTA resources available to task forces, and facilitates information sharing and collaboration. PSN teams work with their regional TTA team to connect with BJA’s PSN TTA providers, depending on the identified focus area.
Jurisdictions that are not involved in a PSN program site may still contact a PSN TTA provider or use their available tools and resources for their crime reduction needs. For example, MSU’s Violence Reduction Assessment Tool enables any community to assess its capacity to implement a violence reduction program and identifies action items to maximize success. Police departments that are interested in learning more about PSN efforts in their districts should reach to their U.S. Attorney’s Office (USAO). Whether involved as a PSN site or not, communities seeking TTA related to PSN may request services by coordinating with their USAO and submitting the request via the online TTA request form.
For an overview of PSN’s TTA services, access the PSN TTA Overview Document.
To access PSN TTA training, webinars, and other resources, visit the Project Safe Neighborhoods Training and Technical Assistance website at https://psntta.org/.
To submit the work of your organization or jurisdiction for consideration to be featured in a future BJA NTTAC TTA Spotlight, please email BJANTTAC@ojp.usdoj.gov.
If your agency or community is interested in violent crime reduction or would like to apply for technical assistance, please contact BJA NTTAC at BJANTTAC@ojp.usdoj.gov to discuss your unique criminal justice needs.
The Bureau of Justice Assistance (BJA) recently announced the creation of the Law Enforcement/First Responder Diversion Mentor Program, scheduled to begin on October 1, 2019. Part of the training and technical assistance (TTA) resources available through BJA’s Comprehensive Opioid Abuse Program (COAP), this program will provide local jurisdictions interested in launching a diversion program with the opportunity to learn from established programs that have successfully worked to meet their communities’ treatment needs.
BJA’s COAP TTA provider Treatment Alternatives for Safe Communities, Inc. will facilitate the selection of mentor sites to serve as models for individuals and teams interested in learning innovative practices for starting a diversion program. After selecting mentor sites, BJA will implement a process for communities to apply online to visit one of the mentor programs, as well as support the travel of up to three individuals from the requesting community to observe the mentor site.
Learn more and submit an application to COAP@iir.com by 5:00 p.m. ET on Friday, May 10, 2019 to serve as a mentor site in the Law Enforcement/First Responder Diversion Mentor Program. The application form contains additional information about law enforcement/first responder diversion, the purpose of BJA’s new program, and important dates related to the selection process.
Overview
The Bureau of Justice Assistance (BJA), in collaboration with the Center for Court Innovation, administers the National Community Courts Program under BJA’s larger Problem-Solving Justice Initiative. Community courts are neighborhood-focused court programs that combine the power of the community and the justice system to address local problems. They connect persons committing less serious crimes to judicially supervised drug treatment, alternative sanctions, and other community-based services.
The goal of the National Community Courts Program is to help judges and other innovators around the country reduce drug use, crime, and unnecessary incarceration through:
- Site-based training and technical assistance;
- Peer-to-peer site visits to model community courts for practitioners across the country;
- Network of Mentor Community Courts;
- The Community Court Grant Program;
- Community justice conferences;
- Articles, multimedia products, webinars, and other resources on related topics; and
- Responses to practitioner inquiries.
Recent Developments
Under the National Community Courts Program, the Center for Court Innovation selected the following jurisdictions in a national, peer-reviewed competition to receive subawards of $200,000 each and technical assistance to launch a community court:
- State of Delaware Administrative Office of the Courts in Wilmington, Delaware;
- City of Fort Lauderdale, Florida;
- Reno, Nevada Municipal Court;
- City of Puyallup, Washington; and
- Metropolitan General Sessions Court of Nashville-Davidson County, Tennessee.
In addition, the Center for Court Innovation will offer hands-on planning and implementation support to the jurisdictions listed below:
- City of Albany, Georgia Municipal Court;
- City of Boulder, Colorado Municipal Court; and
- Snohomish County, Washington District Court.
BJA and the Center for Court Innovation plan to select up to five additional sites to receive no-cost planning and implementation support in 2019. State and local criminal justice agencies interested in launching a community court may submit a request via the online application.
Interested in learning more about the National Community Courts Program? Please contact the Center for Court Innovation’s technical assistance team at info@courtinnovation.org.
If your jurisdiction is in need of training or technical assistance separate from establishing or enhancing a community court, please contact the BJA National Training and Technical Assistance Center (NTTAC) at BJANTTAC@ojp.usdoj.gov.
If you are interested in submitting the work of your organization or jurisdiction for consideration in a future TTA Today blog post or in obtaining information related to a particular topic area, please email us at BJANTTAC@ojp.usdoj.gov.
Points of view or opinions on BJA NTTAC’s TTA Today blog are those of the author(s) and do not necessarily represent the official position or policies of the U.S. Department of Justice, BJA, or BJA NTTAC.
The Bureau of Justice Assistance’s (BJA) Center for Task Force Training (CenTF) Program offers multiple training opportunities to equip task force commanders and other law enforcement leaders with the knowledge and tools to engage in strategic decisionmaking and increase community and officer safety.
CenTF’s offerings include the two-day, onsite, classroom-based “Task Force Commanders Training,” which covers topics such as task force leadership, policies and procedures, personnel and training, operational planning, confidential informant management, risk management, and critical incident management. View upcoming sessions for CenTF’s “Multijurisdictional Task Force Commanders Training” on the TTA Catalog to learn more and register:
- March 18 – 19, 2019 in East Peoria, Illinois;
- April 9 – 10, 2019 in Van Buren, Arkansas; and
- July 16 – 17, 2019 in Nashville, Tennessee.
CenTF also provides online training, including the “Critical Components of Task Force Success” webinar series. This series highlights key strategies for 21st century law enforcement task force operations, including task force administration, operations planning and confidential source management, violent gang task force management, and challenges in addressing the opioid epidemic. To view recordings of the webinar sessions, log in to (or create an account for) the CenTF site, then visit the Training and Technical Assistance web page.
For any questions about the onsite trainings or webinar sessions, please contact CenTF.
Join the Bureau of Justice Assistance (BJA) and the Vera Institute of Justice for the webinar Serving Safely: Enhancing Policing for Persons with Mental Illnesses and Developmental Disabilities on Wednesday, February 13 from 2:00 p.m. to 3:30 p.m. ET. During the webinar, participants will learn how law enforcement agencies can request help to enhance their responses to incidents involving persons with mental illnesses (MI) and intellectual and developmental disabilities (I/DD) through Serving Safely: The National Initiative to Enhance Policing for Persons with Mental Illnesses and Developmental Disabilities, a partnership between BJA and the Vera Institute of Justice.
People living with MI and I/DD are disproportionately represented in contacts with police, which can lead to stressful and dangerous conditions for everyone involved. This webinar will provide an overview of the Serving Safely initiative, describe the types of assistance available, introduce the multidisciplinary project team responding to these requests, and highlight new product development in the field.
Register for the webinar today. Read a TTA Spotlight article from the BJA National Training and Technical Assistance Center to learn more about Serving Safely.
View this webinar on the TTA Catalog.
Puddles, Morse code, and milk. We celebrate them each year on January 11, yet while we are splashing our friends with puddles, learning to spell our names in Morse code, and commemorating the day when milk was first delivered in sterilized glass bottles, we are also called to acknowledge an important issue impacting thousands of people across every country: human trafficking. The U.S. Senate established the National Day of Human Trafficking Awareness by a Senate resolution in 2007 to raise awareness and opposition to human trafficking. Now part of National Slavery and Human Trafficking Prevention Month, recognized each year since 2011 by Presidential proclamation, this designation gives law enforcement, victim service providers, survivors, and the criminal justice community a much-needed platform through which to raise awareness about the issue of human trafficking and their efforts to combat it.
In January and year-round, nearly all federal agencies play a part in addressing human trafficking. The U.S. Department of Justice (DOJ) serves a particularly important role, bringing traffickers to justice and assisting trafficking survivors. Several important DOJ components, including the Bureau of Justice Assistance (BJA), help investigate and prosecute trafficking crimes. Additionally, BJA has made awards to law enforcement agencies to support more than 50 multidisciplinary human trafficking task forces in partnership with the Office for Victims of Crime (OVC), which provides funding and training to the victim service agencies that are key partners within these task forces. Comprised of federal, state, local, and tribal law enforcement agencies, prosecutors, and victim service providers, these task forces investigate all forms of human trafficking, emphasizing proactive investigations, victim identification, and recovery. Between fiscal years 2010 to 2015, the task forces conducted more than 5,500 investigations that resulted in the identification of more than 2,000 victims and the prosecution of more than 1,500 traffickers.
At the BJA National Training and Technical Assistance Center (NTTAC), we are proud to support these efforts by facilitating training and technical assistance (TTA) as well as by directing requestors to the anti-trafficking resources they need. From January to June 2017, BJA NTTAC provided ongoing guidance to BJA in developing the curriculum for a new training program for law enforcement and prosecutors on the investigation and prosecution of labor trafficking. In February 2018, BJA NTTAC supported the DOJ Human Trafficking Summit, which discussed effective law enforcement strategies, victim empowerment, engagement with the business community, and DOJ grant opportunities. Additionally, BJA NTTAC has directly assisted agencies in developing connections with anti-human trafficking task forces and victim service providers through the identification of training, funding opportunities, and local partners to meet specific communities’ needs.
With so many federal agencies and components within those agencies supporting anti-trafficking efforts, it can be challenging to find the right resource or tap into the right funding stream. BJA NTTAC is committed to providing justice agencies with not only TTA services, but also resources and connections to others in the field.
In the spirit of this commitment, below is a list of resources that may help your organization learn more about human trafficking, identify resources, and seek TTA opportunities beyond BJA NTTAC as we shine a light on the issue throughout January:
- The OJP Human Trafficking Task Force e-Guide, developed in partnership by BJA and OVC, provides guidance on the day-to-day operations of anti-human trafficking task forces to agencies seeking to form a task force, as well as to established task forces, to help support victim-centered approaches and practices.
- The BJA Anti-Human Trafficking Task Force Initiative supports the development and enhancement of multidisciplinary human trafficking task forces that implement collaborative approaches to combating all forms of human trafficking and offers a variety of specialized TTA opportunities to grantees.
- The National Human Trafficking Hotline, operated by Polaris, is available to provide human trafficking victims and survivors with access to critical support and services to get help and stay safe, and to equip the anti-trafficking community with the tools to effectively combat all forms of human trafficking, including information, statistics, and resources on a wide range of topics related to human trafficking.
- The Office of the Administration for Children and Families’ National Human Trafficking Training and Technical Assistance Center applies a public health approach to help build the health and human services capacity of professionals to increase victim identification and strengthen the health and well-being of survivors through coordinated training efforts.
- The OVC Training and Technical Assistance Center offers training, customized technical assistance, speaker support, professional development scholarships, and admission to the National Victim Assistance Academy for those who provide services to crime victims, including victims of human trafficking.
If your jurisdiction is in need of training or technical assistance related to combating human trafficking, or if you know of a community that would benefit from this type of assistance, please contact BJA NTTAC at BJANTTAC@ojp.usdoj.gov.
If you are interested in submitting the work of your organization or jurisdiction for consideration in a future TTA Today blog post or in obtaining information related to a particular topic area, please email us at BJANTTAC@ojp.usdoj.gov.
Points of view or opinions on BJA NTTAC’s TTA Today blog are those of the author(s) and do not necessarily represent the official position or policies of the U.S. Department of Justice, BJA, or BJA NTTAC.