“The Department of Justice is proud to continue its support of RISS and its members as they solve crimes, arrest criminals, and work to protect Americans from violence.”—OJP Principal Deputy Assistant Attorney General Katharine T. Sullivan.

The Bureau of Justice Assistance (BJA), Office of Justice Programs (OJP), announced that is has awarded $35 million in grants to support the Regional Information Sharing Systems (RISS) network.  Composed of six regional centers and the RISS Technology Support Center, RISS encompasses more than 9,000 local, state, federal, and tribal law enforcement and public safety agencies, which work together to share information and respond to the unique crime problems of each region.

In this new, no-cost book from the Police Executive Research Forum (PERF), retired police chiefs and sheriffs share their stories about what they are doing and give advice for how to plan for life after being on a police force. Chapter 2, “How Police Chiefs and Sheriffs Are Finding Meaning and Purpose in the Next Stage of Their Careers,” is intended for everyone in the policing profession, while recognizing that the concept of retirement is changing in many professions. Four short videos featuring retired police chiefs and sheriffs also are part of this resource.

The cyber world is relatively new; the risks are low; and with cyber assets and activities being in the trillions of dollars, the payoff is high.  Discussions of cybercrime often focus on the loss of privacy and security, but cybercrime also results in significant economic losses.  Yet the data and research on this aspect of cybercrime are unfortunately limited.  Data collection often relies on small sample sizes or presents other challenges that bring accuracy into question.  This article from the National Institute of Science and Technology (NIST) dives into these topics.

While much focus and funding has been devoted to combating the opioid epidemic, many communities have begun or continue to grapple with the impacts of methamphetamine use disorders.  As many criminal justice professionals learn about the science of addiction and changes in the brain that result from substance misuse, they have a growing interest in addressing issues related to methamphetamines using a public health approach.  This webinar, sponsored by the Bureau of Justice Assistance and the Comprehensive Opioid, Stimulant, and Substance Abuse Program (COSSAP), will present an overview of methamphetamine use and justice involvement and explore emerging practices, such as the Sequential Intercept Model (SIM), to address the needs of individuals with methamphetamine use disorders who interface with the justice system.

Date:  Thursday, July 16, 2020
Time:  2:00 p.m. – 3:30 p.m., ET

The Office for Victims of Crime has launched a redesigned website that offers a more user-friendly experience with streamlined navigation to help users get to the content they need faster.  Some of the new or updated features include:

• A new Victims of Crime Act (VOCA) Administrators microsite.
• Additional grantee performance measurement information.
• An enhanced awards listing with new fields such as project descriptions and areas served.
• A new Help for Victims microsite that offers dedicated content to support victims of crime and their loved ones.