The successful prevention of an active shooting frequently depends on the collective and collaborative engagement of a variety of community members: law enforcement officials, teachers, mental health care professionals, family members, threat assessment professionals, friends, social workers, school resource officers . . . and many others. A shared awareness of the common observable behaviors demonstrated by the active shooters in this study may help to prompt inquiries and focus assessments at every level of contact and every stage of intervention.

In 2014, the Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI) published a report titled “A Study of Active Shooter Incidents in the United States Between 2000 and 2013.”  One hundred and sixty active shooter incidents in the United States occurring between 2000 and 2013 were included in the study sample.  In this first report, the FBI focused on the circumstances of the active shooting events (e.g., location, duration, and resolution) but did not attempt to identify the motives driving offenders, nor did it highlight observable pre-attack behaviors demonstrated by offenders. The 2014 report is referred to as the “Phase I” study.

The FBI has released Phase II of this study, which was designed to look at pre-attack behaviors of active shooters. The study looks at 63 shooters and breaks down ways to identify someone displaying behaviors that could indicate an attack.

Nearly every crime has a digital component. As such, police leaders are under increased pressure to dedicate resources to combat cyber-enabled crime.

~Excerpt from “Starting a CyberCrime Unit: Key Considerations for Police Chiefs”

The Police Executive Research Forum (PERF) recently released a new document, “Starting a CyberCrime Unit:  Key Considerations for Police Chiefs,” which offers law enforcement executives key considerations for establishing a cybercrime unit, including scope, recruitment/staffing, interagency partnerships, training, and funding.  Each key consideration area includes illustrative concepts to help executives build a cybercrime unit.

For new and existing cybercrime units, the Law Enforcement Cyber Center (LECC) is another resource available to assist police chiefs, sheriffs, commanders, patrol officers, digital forensic investigators, detectives, and prosecutors who are investigating and preventing crimes that involve technology.

The National Gang Center is offering free training on the Office of Juvenile Justice and Delinquency Prevention (OJJDP) Comprehensive Gang Model (CGM) at the 2018 Comprehensive Gang Model Workshop on August 14–16, 2018, in Houston, Texas.

The OJJDP CGM supports a collaborative approach to help communities prevent and reduce gang violence. This training is designed for local teams representing juvenile and/or adult probation and parole, schools, law enforcement, social services, public health, and the community. Teams will learn how to conduct a gang assessment, build community partnerships, and develop a plan using the Model’s five core strategies. Learn more and register to attend the workshop.

Fiscal year 2015, 1,923 suspects were referred to U.S. attorneys for prosecution for human trafficking offenses, a 41 percent increase from the 1,360 suspects referred for prosecution in 2011.

~Excerpt from the Bureau of Justice Statistics Press Release regarding the report “Federal Prosecution of Human-Trafficking Cases, 2015”

The Bureau of Justice Statistics (BJS) recently released the report “Federal Prosecution of Human-Trafficking Cases, 2015,” which includes the offenses of peonage, slavery, forced labor, and sex trafficking; production of child pornography; and transport for illegal sex activity.  The report details persons investigated by federal law enforcement and referred to U.S. attorneys for human-trafficking offenses and cases prosecuted, adjudicated, and sentenced in U.S. district court, including the disposition of human-trafficking matters concluded, reasons matters were declined for prosecution, demographic characteristics of suspects charged with human-trafficking offenses, and key case outcomes, such as conviction rates and prison sentence lengths.  Findings are based on data from BJS's Federal Justice Statistics Program, with source data provided by the Executive Office for U.S. Attorneys and the Administrative Office of the U.S. Courts.

Highlights:

• In 2015, the FBI (52 percent) and Immigration and Customs Enforcement (19 percent) referred the most human-trafficking suspects to U.S. attorneys.

• Nearly 6 in 10 (59 percent) human-trafficking suspects referred to U.S. attorneys in 2015 were prosecuted in U.S. district courts.

• In 2015, more than 9 in 10 (93 percent) human-trafficking defendants were convicted.

• Nearly all (99 percent) of the 769 convicted human-trafficking defendants in 2015 received a prison sentence.

NOTE:  For agencies working on or who have their own human trafficking task force please be aware of the Bureau of Justice Assistance (BJA) and Office for Victims of Crime (OVC) Enhanced Collaborative Model (ECM) Human Trafficking Task Forces funding opportunity.  This solicitation is for the purpose of combatting human trafficking in communities across the U.S.  The FY18 ECM Solicitation closed on July 5, 2018, but agencies should look for this solicitation in FY19 for possible funding.  Online resources for human trafficking task forces include:

Colleges and universities play an important role in preventing drug abuse among their students.  DEA is honored to be recognized by the [National Association of Government Communicators] NAGC for its efforts to provide higher education professionals who focus on prevention with the information and tools they need to ensure the health and safety of their students.

~Acting Administrator Robert W. Patterson, U.S. Drug Enforcement Administration

In July 2017, U.S. Drug Enforcement Administration (DEA) launched www.campusdrugprevention.gov to support drug abuse prevention programs on college campuses.  The website was created as a one-stop resource for professionals working to prevent drug abuse among college students, including educators, student health centers, and student affairs personnel.  In addition, it serves as a useful tool for college students, parents, and others involved in campus communities.  The DEA received a Blue Pencil Award of Excellence from the National Association of Government Communicators (NAGC) for its work with this website.

The NAGC’s Blue Pencil and Gold Screen Awards is an annual international awards program that recognizes superior government communication products and those who produce them.