In partnership between the Bureau of Justice Assistance and the International Association of Chiefs of Police (IACP), this initiative equips law enforcement leaders and their communities with expert assistance, guidance, and rapid response resources in the event of targeted acts of mass violence. MVAI connects local law enforcement leaders with Mass Violence Peer-to-Peer Advisory Teams, composed of law enforcement professionals with personal experience navigating acts of mass violence and their aftershocks. The IACP plans to expand the initiative to include community, faith-based, and psychological services that will take a trauma-informed approach to officer and community healing, safety, and wellness.

Hosted by the Justice Clearinghouse and funded by the American Society of Evidence-Based Policing, this webinar discusses traffic fatalities and the process of investigating these cases for law enforcement. Law enforcement officers soon discover that these types of investigations may require them to wear many hats in pursuit of the truth. Also, an officers’ willingness to collaborate with allied agencies may be needed to bring justice to victims and their families and to hold the negligent accountable. This webinar is designed to help strengthen skills used and needed during the three critical stages of a vehicular homicide investigation: on-scene management, forensics, and prosecution. 

When: Thursday, October 7, 2021
Time: 3:00 p.m. – 4:15 p.m., ET

Published by the Office of Community Oriented Policing Services (COPS) and the Police Executive Research Forum, this publication discusses officer safety and wellness initiatives within departments. It provides departments across the country with a road map for creating their own wellness programs. The information contained in this practitioner’s manual includes promising strategies for creating and improving wellness programs, encouraging participation in such programs, and normalizing the routine use of mental wellness services.

Published by the National Institute of Justice, this publication discusses the expansion of ShotSpotter and how it has helped law enforcement agencies become more aware of incidents involving gunfire. The expansion of ShotSpotter was the perfect opportunity to bring a forensic intelligence analyst on board to translate all firearm-related testing results and create actionable intelligence reports for detectives, taking full advantage of the pieces of intelligence and databases available. Forensic scientists and law enforcement officers working in today’s investigative environment face a paradigm shift in how they interact. Forensic disciplines have traditionally been incorporated into a case just before going to court. Now, forensic analysis can help drive an investigation and support law enforcement agencies to direct their investigative resources more efficiently.

Published by the Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI), this report discusses the estimated number of violent crimes in the country in 2020. For the first time in four years, the estimated number of violent crimes in the nation increased compared with the previous year’s statistics, according to FBI figures released today. In 2020, violent crime was up 5.6 percent from the 2019 number. Property crimes dropped 7.8 percent, marking the 18th consecutive year the collective estimates for these offenses declined. The 2020 statistics show that the estimated rate of violent crime was 387.8 offenses per 100,000 inhabitants, and the estimated rate of property crime was 1,958.2 offenses per 100,000 inhabitants. The violent crime rate rose 5.2 percent compared with the 2019 rate; the property crime rate declined 8.1 percent.