The nomination period for the 2020 Medal of Valor is now open. Each year, the Bureau of Justice Assistance (BJA) recognizes public safety officers in law enforcement, firefighting, and emergency services for their valiant acts performed in the line of duty with the Medal of Valor. Multiple officers can be nominated for the same event, and individual officers can be nominated for multiple acts of service. BJA appreciates the time and attention given to honoring our country’s public safety officers and the selfless acts of bravery they perform every day.

This National Public Safety Partnership (PSP) Clearinghouse toolkit was curated by the PSP team to provide a suite of timely resources dedicated to assisting law enforcement with best practices for building community trust, strengthening relationships, and increasing cultural understanding with diverse communities. The resources included also address officer resiliency and ways to mitigate the impact of stress on the duties of policing. For more information or to build your own customized toolkit, visit the PSP website.

In this ten-minute podcast episode—featuring Floyd Wiley, a retired lieutenant who served as a narcotics detective and SWAT team commander, and Bob Bushman, a retired statewide gang and drug task force coordinator and instructor for the Center for Task Force Training (CenTF) Program—deconfliction is defined and discussed. The hosts talk about why deconfliction is such a valuable tool, what systems are being used in the industry, and how officers can gain access to those systems. A CenTF account is required to access this content.  If you do not have a CenTF account, please register here: https://centf.org/Register.

It takes courage to help child and adult victims of sexual abuse, assist survivors of acts of terrorism and mass violence, fight fires that may have taken people's lives, or respond to shootings and other crime scenes. It also takes commitment to do this work despite the personal, physical, emotional, and mental impact it can have.

The Vicarious Trauma Toolkit (VTT) was developed by the U.S. Office of Justice Programs Office for Victims of Crime (OVC) on the premise that exposure to the traumatic experiences of other people—known as vicarious trauma—is an inevitable occupational challenge for the fields of victim services, emergency medical services, fire services, law enforcement, and other allied professionals; however, organizations can mitigate the potentially negative effects of trauma exposure by becoming informed about vicarious trauma.

The President’s Commission on Law Enforcement and the Administration of Justice concluded its hearing on rural and tribal justice with a panel on public safety challenges within American Indian and Alaska Native communities. The commission also began its hearing on community engagement, with a panel on civil rights and oversight. The hearings were conducted via teleconference and featured expert witnesses who provided testimony and answered questions from the commissioners. Panelists discussed the need for more law enforcement resources such as training, equipment, and funding for salaries.