Personnel

Due to the Federal Law Enforcement Training Center - RVCRI partnership, Sgt. Avery Cowardin was able to attend the May 2025 DHS Leadership Academy, which is a two-week long leadership course for individuals in a command authority position or could assume command authority. The training includes segments on leadership challenges, adaptive leadership, leading through a crisis, navigating the seven c's of leadership, wellness in law enforcement, servant leadership, and a capstone group project.

JSS continues to explore and to document digital evidence management integration of BWC footage for use in law enforcement operations, including investigations. This effort is informed by and supports the work of Category 3 grantees.

During this reporting period, IIR collaborated with BJA to identify dates for a webinar in support of the FY2024 cohort: a meet-and-greet session. Program staff provided multiple date and time options to BJA program officials, and the event will be scheduled in early 2025.

A Grant Management Orientation webinar will be held for FY 2024 Shepard/Byrd, Community-based Approaches and Emmett Till award recipients. This mandatory webinar for new grantees provides information on fundamental components of their awards, grant activities, performance metrics, and financial reporting.

During this reporting period, the Hate Crimes TTA Program team continued to identify lessons learned and relevant resources and collected information from the field for dissemination to the program sites during regular project check-in calls, through the issuance of special bulletins, and through invitations to virtual webinars and training opportunities. The Hate Crimes TTA Program disseminated special bulletins regarding the following items:
• July 11, 2024—Matthew Shepard James Byrd Solicitation Deadline Extended!

IIR program staff members continued conducting research and gathering content for inclusion in the Hate Crimes TTA Program newsletter, “Preventing Hate and Keeping You Up to Date.” During this reporting period, four newsletters were disseminated. IIR staff members publish the newsletter—which contains resources including national news and trends, research studies and reports, publications, training opportunities, and other useful tools to help support the efforts of awarded project sites and the broader field—using a LISTSERV tool that provides statistical data for reporting metrics.

The Lab hosted a listening session with Fellows to explore effective methods for disseminating information, such as leveraging networks, associations, and key change agents. Fellows also provided feedback on the most effective formats to encourage the adoption of innovative and evidence-based practices.

Second virtual meeting of the Steering Committee was hosted on September 10, 2024. During this meeting the Knowledge Lab renewed vision was discussed, and feedback on this renewed vision was received.

During the reporting period, PSP received approval from DOJ to proceed with hosting the

As continuation of the Tucson Police Department’s (TPD) prior PSP peer exchange request to visit Los Angeles to observe the LAPD’s full CompStat process, IIR provided SME assistance with LAPD SMEs Ms. Jessica Statland and Lieutenant Christopher Chase to provide targeted TTA for CompStat. Following the previous CompStat peer exchange, the TPD requested LAPD attendance at a TPD CompStat meeting to better prepare the TPD for using CompStat in its Investigative Bureaus, in addition to its current Patrol Division.