Everything we do at the Department of Justice is dedicated to reducing crime in America.  Perhaps the most important thing we can do toward that end is to improve our relationships with state and local partners like you. We want to be a force multiplier for you.  We can help you—because we can reach defendants across state lines, across national borders, and even across oceans.

~Attorney General Jeff Sessions

On May 7, 2018, U.S. Attorney General Jeff Sessions delivered remarks at the Association of State Criminal Investigative Agencies (ASCIA) 2018 Spring Conference.  He emphasized that the administration’s goal is to bring down the rate of violent crime, homicides, opioid prescriptions, and overdose deaths.  In 2018, the Department of Justice (DOJ) will invest more than $100 million in state and local crime labs to make them faster, more efficient, and effective, in an effort to reduce the backlog and free up other resources to reduce violent crime and drug abuse.  DOJ, through the Bureau of  Justice Assistance's Sexual Assault Kit Initiative, also will provide grant funding to identify previously unsubmitted sexual assault kits, test them, and then assign personnel to pursue new investigative leads to help provide closure for sexual assault victims throughout the country and help put their assailants behind bars.  AG Sessions added that it is critical to address the growing encryption (or “going dark”) problem.  DOJ is working with stakeholders in the private sector, in law enforcement, and in Congress to find a solution to this problem.

The International Association of Chiefs of Police (IACP) is proud to honor law enforcement agencies and officers that exhibit leadership, excellence, and professionalism through the 2018 Leadership Awards Program.  Nominate an agency or individual doing incredible work in the field. Simply download the nomination form, complete it, and email it to awards@theiacp.org by June 1, 2018. All award winners will be recognized at the 2018 IACP Annual Conference.  The awards program features several categories, including the following:

• The IACP Leadership in Homeland Security Award honors excellence and significant contributions to overcoming homeland security challenges. All federal, state, local, and tribal law enforcement, public safety or criminal justice agencies, task forces, or multiagency collaborative efforts that have made a substantial contribution to Homeland Security efforts, either during a single event or over time, are eligible to apply.

• The IACP/Thomson Reuters Excellence in Criminal Investigations Award recognizes exceptional innovation in managing and conducting criminal investigations, with the goal of sharing information to advance the art and science of criminal investigations.  Eligible agencies, departments, police units, or task forces must engage or participate in criminal investigations.  The nominated investigation must be currently ongoing or have been completed in the 2017 calendar year.  An investigation nominated for this award in a previous year is ineligible.

The Police Executive Research Forum (PERF) Annual Meeting is being held in conjunction with the conferences of the Major Cities Chiefs Association (MCCA) and the Federal Bureau of Investigation National Executive Institute Associates (NEIA) on May 29 through June 1, 2018, in Nashville, Tennessee. All registrants will be welcome to attend all meetings, sessions, and events sponsored by PERF, MCCA, and NEIA during the Annual Meeting.

To register for the joint meeting through PERF, select the registration button below.  The registration fee is $425. 

The Community Oriented Policing Services (COPS) Office recently opened a competitive solicitation for the 2018 Community Policing Development (CPD) Program.  The CPD grant program is designed to advance the practice of community policing in law enforcement agencies through training and technical assistance, development of innovative community policing strategies, field-directed law enforcement microgrants, guidebooks, and best practices that are national in scope.  The COPS Office has designed the CPD solicitation to address critical topics in the law enforcement field by building on the principles of community policing.

Up to $10 million is available through this year's program, and all awards are subject to the availability of funds.  Applications are due by June 7, 2018, at 7:59 p.m., ET.

The U.S. Department of Justice and the National Center for Missing & Exploited Children coordinate the AMBER Alert program nationally. As of March 2018, a total of 924 children had been successfully recovered through the AMBER Alert system.

The mission of the AMBER Alert Training and Technical Assistance Program (AATTAP) is to safely recover missing, endangered, or abducted children through the coordinated efforts of law enforcement, media, transportation, and other partners by using training and technology to enhance response capacities and capabilities and increase public participation.

The AATTAP publishes quarterly issues of the AMBER Advocate Newsletter.  The spring 2018 issue of the AMBER Advocate Newsletter features the following articles:

• AMBER Alert Training and Technical Assistance Program Administrator Jim Walters' vision for the future of child protection
• Faces of the AMBER Alert Network
• The role an Idaho AMBER Alert played in the recovery of two sisters
• AMBER Alert in Indian Country
• AMBER Alert in international news