Law enforcement use of force has long been a topic of national discussion.  The opportunity to analyze information related to use-of-force incidents and to have an informed dialogue is hindered by the lack of nationwide statistics. To address this topic, representatives from major law enforcement organizations are working in collaboration with the Federal Bureau of Investigation to develop the National Use-of-Force Data Collection.  With a national data collection, data users can view use-of-force incidents involving law enforcement from a nationwide perspective. The goal of the resulting statistics is not to offer insight into single use-of-force incidents, but to provide an aggregate view of the incidents reported and of the circumstances, subjects, and officers involved.

In November 2018, the Bureau of Justice Statistics released a new report, Body-Worn Cameras in Law Enforcement Agencies, 2016, that shows that nearly half of state and local law enforcement agencies in the United States had acquired body-worn cameras (BWC) by 2016. According to the report, among the agencies that have acquired BWC, 60 percent of local police departments and 49 percent of sheriffs’ offices had fully deployed their BWCs in 2016.

The Law Enforcement Cyber Center (LECC) is a collaborative project among the National White Collar Crime Center, the International Association of Chiefs of Police, and the Police Executive Research Forum and is funded through the Bureau of Justice Assistance.

The LECC was developed to enhance the awareness, expand the education, and build the capacity of justice and public safety agencies to prevent, investigate, prosecute, and respond to cyberthreats and cybercrimes. It is intended to be a national resource for law enforcement and related justice and public safety entities. During this no-cost webinar, participants will review the website and learn about the many valuable resources that can be utilized.

Date:  Thursday, December 13, 2018

Time:  1:00 p.m. – 2:30 p.m., ET

The National Crime Gun Intelligence Governing Board is a Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms, and Explosives (ATF)-administered body consisting of chiefs of police, forensic laboratory directors, ATF executives, and executives from state and federal prosecutors’ offices. The board advises and makes recommendations on national policy related to crime gun intelligence and issues best practices for local crime gun intelligence programs.   

Recently, the National Crime Gun Intelligence Governing Board released the document Crime Gun Intelligence: Disrupting the Shooting Cycle to suggest best practices and policy recommendations for departments wanting to implement crime gun intelligence as a part of their overall violent crime strategy.  Crime Gun Intelligence (CGI) utilizes evidence-based technology to provide law enforcement with a unique tool to enhance comprehensive violent-gun-crime strategies. CGI combines all available information on crime guns and shootings to identify and disrupt the shooting cycle and reveals leads not otherwise available to assist in identifying offenders who are illegally purchasing or transferring firearms and the offenders who use them to commit violent crimes.

The U.S. Department of Justice (DOJ) recently announced awards of more than $56 million in grant funding awarded through DOJ’s Office of Justice Programs (OJP) to enhance state, local, tribal, and territorial law enforcement safety and wellness. OJP’s Bureau of Justice Assistance and National Institute of Justice awarded grants to law enforcement departments; local jurisdictions; and training, technical assistance, and research organizations throughout the United States. The funds will be used to provide services designed to protect officers and improve overall public safety.

DOJ is committed to ensuring officer safety. Over the past year, the department has partnered with all levels of law enforcement, local organizations, and members of the community to reduce violent crime and make American neighborhoods safer, including the reinvigoration of Project Safe Neighborhoods.  Recently, the department hosted a law enforcement roundtable and announced funds and technical assistance resources to help law enforcement investigate and prosecute hate crimes. Also, a new grant was announced to provide multidisciplinary, scenario-based active shooter training to help protect and equip first responders across the country.