U.S. Attorney General Jeff Sessions announced on Monday, March 12, 2018, additional steps by the U.S. Department of Justice (DOJ) to improve school safety and enforce current gun laws. The six categories for additional support include improvements to school safety, including hiring more school resource officers; aggressively prosecuting federal gun laws; providing additional support and resources for the law enforcement agencies who responded to the Parkland shooting; improving information available for firearms background checks; enhancements to the Department’s response to public information, including reviewing and reforming the process for handling tips; and technical assistance to states. The Major County Sheriffs of America released a statement in response to DOJ’s announcement, which can be viewed here. 

The landscape of terrorist attacks has changed, the frequency of attacks has increased, and the targets are anywhere or anyone. Law enforcement officers play a crucial role, since they are positioned to be the first and last lines of defense. Provided by the National White Collar Crime Center, this webinar will look at ISIS tactics; the people committing acts of terrorism; intelligence collection before, during, and after an event; training; and event preparation. The webinar will examine how ISIS is convincing its followers to take up arms and what that might mean in the immediate future. The presenter will review attacks from within the United States and around the world to understand how ISIS is evolving to meet U.S. defensive tactics. In addition, the webinar will investigate how ISIS is using propaganda to target children and how children are reacting.

This webinar is intended for LAW ENFORCEMENT. Please register using your agency-issued email.

Better training and the more sophisticated policing strategies were key reasons for 20 years of declining crime in America.  I believe that continuing to advance our technical sophistication can help us reduce crime once again, and that’s why we’re investing in CRI-TAC. Improving access to training for our state and local law enforcement partners will mean better policing and a safer America.

~ U.S. Attorney General Jeff Sessions, announcing the launch of the Collaborative Reform Initiative Technical Assistance Center (CRI-TAC) during the International Association of Chiefs of Police (IACP) Division Midyear Conference in Nashville, Tennessee

The Collaborative Reform Initiative for Technical Assistance (CRI-TA) program provides critical and tailored technical assistance resources to state, local, territorial, and tribal law enforcement agencies on a wide variety of topics. It features a “by the field, for the field” approach while delivering individualized technical assistance using leading experts in a range of public safety, crime reduction, and community policing topics. Agency participation in CRI-TA is voluntary.

Law enforcement agencies seeking additional information or interested in submitting a voluntary request to participate in CRI-TA should visit www.collaborativereform.org.

ISIS remains a dynamic and continuing threat to the West and the homeland. The recent State Department terrorist designations of several ISIS-affiliated groups and key leaders from around the world will help degrade ISIS’ global network by denying them the resources to spread hatred and terror. We must redouble our efforts to deny terrorist entry into America by better working with our allies and ensuring our vetting efforts are as streamlined and effective as possible.

~Chairman Michael McCaul, House Homeland Security Committee

The House Homeland Security Committee develops a monthly assessment of the committee’s continuing efforts to highlight the growing threat that America, the West, and the world face from ISIS and other Islamist terrorists.  The March 2018 Snapshot is currently available.  The committee site also contains an interactive terror snapshot map, which enables users to select locations to view all homegrown jihadist cases since September 11, 2001.

The Bureau of Justice Assistance (BJA) leadership, in collaboration with the Comprehensive Opioid Abuse Program (COAP) team, invites you to this no-cost webinar on March 21, 2018, at 2:00 p.m., ET, to learn how the Naloxone Plus framework can help “save a life twice”: first, by reviving someone who has overdosed and second, by connecting him or her to treatment and hopefully preventing another overdose.