This webinar, sponsored by the Office of Juvenile Justice and Delinquency Prevention in conjunction with the Zero Abuse Project, discusses the importance of increasing sensitivity in forensic testing methods for investigators and multidisciplinary team members involved in evidence collection. The webinar will discuss best practices to mitigate the potential for contamination or destruction of sensitive items. The session will provide learners with a fundamental overview of major methods in evidence collection to empower teams and improve their evidence-gathering procedures. 

When: Monday, November 23, 2020 
Time: 3:00 p.m. – 4:30 p.m., ET

The Comprehensive Opioid, Stimulant, and Substance Abuse Program (COSSAP) published an article discussing law enforcement agencies’ role in mitigating the effects of the nation’s opioid crisis on its youngest victims.  The article discusses how law enforcement can leverage deflection strategies to identify and protect drug-endangered children and how to connect them to community-based treatment, which is critical to reducing their exposure to substance use at home

Sponsored by the Bureau of Justice Assistance, Preventing Violence Against Law Enforcement and Ensuring Officer Resilience and Survivability (VALOR) is hosting a no-cost Web event to increase officer safety and wellness by focusing on remaining calm in the face of difficult situations or crises. This webinar will inform participants how, as leaders and supervisors, they can influence instituting calm strategies throughout their departments. Registration is open to any sworn law enforcement professional. 

When: Tuesday, December 1, 2020
Time: 11:00 a.m. – 12:30 p.m., ET

Hosted by the National White Collar Crime Center (NW3C), and funded by the Bureau of Justice Assistance (BJA)  and the Office of Juvenile Justice and Delinquency Prevention (OJJDP), this training provides legal information on situations involving digital evidence in which the Fourth Amendment may not apply. Topics include the reasonable expectation of privacy in a digital context, private searches, “reasonable” government searches, and searches with consent. This is the third module in the training series Legal Concerns for Digital Evidence Responders. It can be completed as a stand-alone course or in combination with the other module. The training is intended for U.S. criminal justice practitioners. You will need to register using your agency-issued email.

The Office of Community Oriented Policing (COPS) published a report based on a day-long forum held on December 10, 2019, to discuss the challenges of law enforcement recruitment and retention, specifically focused on these issues in relation to smaller, more rural law enforcement agencies. The 32 participants included police chiefs, captains, lieutenants, academic experts, researchers, and agency directors of state police standards. The forum's small size allowed for a wide-ranging discussion that focused on the qualities that make an effective police officer, an in-depth examination of why people leave a department, the most significant challenges to recruiting and retaining officers, and a brainstorming session on the range of strategies these departments use to attract and keep officers. The result was an exchange of ideas and success stories that reflected the unique regional and size differences between the departments.