Sponsored by the Police Executive Research Forum, this report discusses key considerations for law enforcement executives considering resources for a cybercrime unit. Because nearly every crime has a digital component, police leaders are under increased pressure to dedicate more resources to combat cyber-related crime. However, law enforcement executives must consider the scope, recruitment/staffing needs, interagency partnerships, training, and funding before implementing a plan. These considerations can better equip police leaders to establish a cybercrime unit and combat cybercrime in their jurisdictions.

The Office of Community Oriented Policing (COPS) Office School Safety Working Group, composed of representatives from eight national law enforcement organizations, has identified ten essential actions that can be taken by schools, school districts, and law enforcement agencies to help prevent critical incidents causing loss of life or injury in our nation's schools and to respond rapidly and effectively when incidents do occur. These actions, published by COPS, are applicable to school shootings as well as to other areas of school safety, including natural disasters and traumatic events such as a student’s suicide. 

Date: Tuesday, September 22, 2020
Time: 3:00 p.m. - 4:00 p.m., ET

The U.S. Secret Service National Threat Assessment Center (NTAC) will present an encore showing of the “Mass Attacks in Public Spaces–2019” virtual training event previously held on August 6, 2020.  This free presentation addresses the implications found in the report for the prevention of targeted violence. The study examines 34 targeted attacks that occurred in public or semipublic spaces (e.g., schools, places of business, houses of worship, open spaces) from January through December 2019, during which three or more persons were harmed, not including the attacker.

Date: Tuesday, September 15, 2020
Time: 1:00 p.m. - 4:00 p.m., ET

Hosted by N-DEx, the FBI’s national information sharing system, this workshop provides a free distance learning opportunity to the N-DEx System user community in an effort to promote system awareness, enable access to national criminal justice information, and educate new or current users. The sessions feature live demonstrations that consist of rotating topics and range in duration from 15 to 60 minutes, depending on the topic and level of audience participation. There are four different outreach sessions: the N-DEx System Overview, Search, Batch Search, and Subscription and Notification.

To help illuminate and assist the justice system’s response to crimes against Alaska Native and American Indian women, the National Institute of Justice has helped publish research by the University of Alaska Anchorage’s Justice Center focusing on the unique contribution of Alaska’s village public safety officers (VPSOs) to that response. Data has shown Alaska Native and American Indian women to be especially vulnerable to sexual assault and domestic violence. This research examined the response of VPSOs to more than 1,500 sexual assault and domestic violence cases in parts of western Alaska, where several tribal communities are concentrated.