Law Enforcement

The National Criminal Justice Association (NCJA) recently released a how to guide for state administering agencies (SAAs) titled “How and Why to Engage with Local Criminal Justice Planning Boards.” This guide provides case studies for four states on effective approaches to include stakeholder groups in planning processes by engaging their Local Criminal Justice Planning Boards, often referred to as Criminal Justice Coordinating Councils.

The Bureau of Justice Assistance (BJA) administers the Public Safety Officer Medal of Valor Program. The Medal of Valor is the highest honor for public safety officers, and it was created when Congress passed The Public Safety Officer Medal of Valor Act of 2001. The President or Vice President award the medals annually to public safety officers who have exhibited exceptional courage, regardless of personal safety, in the attempt to save or protect human life.

Many agencies are looking for alternative ways to respond to calls for low-level incidences. To help address this, the Bureau of Justice Assistance’s Comprehensive Opioid, Stimulant, and Substance Abuse Program held the webinar “Alternative Response to Calls for Service—Denver STAR Program” in March 2021. During this webinar, Dr.

May is Mental Health Awareness Month. The U.S. Department of Justice has many programs and resources dedicated to officer safety and wellness, including addressing mental health and preventing suicide. These are a few of them:

May is National Drug Court Month, honoring the work that drug court professionals do around the country to help those impacted by substance abuse and co-occurring mental health disorders. Below are some drug court resources developed by some of BJA’s training and technical assistance grantees.  

Join the Tribal Law and Policy Institute (TLPI) for their free 11^th Annual Tribal Healing to Wellness Court Virtual Enhancement Training on June 21–25, 2021. This training for tribal problem-solving courts will feature Wellness Court best practices and innovative strategies in four tracks: Adult Wellness Courts, Juvenile Wellness Courts, Family Wellness Courts, and Veteran Courts. There will also be sessions addressing law enforcement’s role, and case management.

Join AEquitas for their webinar “State, Meet Federal: Prosecuting Law Enforcement Involved Sexual Violence” on June 11, 2021 at 2:00–3:00 p.m. ET. This webinar will focus on federal jurisdictions’ reach to prosecute sexual violence by those in all levels of government, including coordinating among federal and state authorities to enhance investigations based on evidence. Presenters will also discuss three critical Federal Rules of Evidence to help build a case and corroborate a victim’s account even without physical evidence or eyewitness testimony.

To help law enforcement officers, criminal justice practitioners, and their families avoid doxing, the National White Collar Crime Center (NW3C), with support from the Bureau of Justice Assistance, created several Officer Cybersafety microlearning modules. These modules take no longer than 10 minutes to complete and focus on minimizing the risk of compromise through apps, browsers, and devices. Individuals can complete step-by-step instructions with their apps, browsers, and devices during the training to increase security.

Join the Bureau of Justice Assistance’s Comprehensive Opioid, Stimulant, and Substance Abuse Program for their webinar “Peer Integration into Medication-Assisted Treatment (MAT) and Other Jail-based Treatment Programs” on Wednesday, June 23, 2021 at 1:00–2:30 p.m. ET. Presenters will discuss how to successfully implement peer-based treatment programs to address opioid and other substance misuse.

Join Justice Clearinghouse, the American Society of Evidence-Based Policing, and the National Sheriffs’ Association for their webinar “Getting Curious in the Face of Conflict: How to Use Targeted Questions to Control Escalation” on Tuesday, June 8 at 1:00–2:15 p.m. ET. This webinar will discuss “a framework for understanding conflict decisionmaking; how curiosity can de-escalate tense encounters; and essential questions for handling conflict effectively.”

Presenters: