The Impact - PSP Quarterly Newsletter
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Presents . . .
The PSP Impact
- A Quarterly Snapshot of the PSP Network -
April–June 2022
This quarter, the National Public Safety Partnership (PSP) is excited to continue expanding its reach and scope by opening applications for enrollment for a new cohort of 2022 sites. The U.S. Department of Justice has received a robust response to this invitation, and we look forward to welcoming the new sites, which will be announced next quarter. Meanwhile, the current PSP sites maintained a high level of activity, participating in a variety of activities, from nonfatal shooting assessments to group peer exchanges to communities of practice. We hope you enjoy these highlights, and please let us know if you have any questions or would like further information.
Quarterly Site Highlights
Shreveport Police Department
In May 2022, the members of the National Public Safety Partnership (PSP) Shreveport, Louisiana, site, including executive staff Chief Wayne Smith and Deputy Chief Antwoine White, public information officer Corporal Chris Bordelon, and grants coordinator Nicole Ester-Capers, visited the Baton Rouge, Louisiana, PSP site for a peer exchange. The goals of the peer exchange were to observe the Baton Rouge structure for a community advisory council, discuss methods for increased communication and transparency with the public, determine the structure and process for establishing a police foundation, and learn more about the Baton Rouge Police Department's use of police technology. Following the peer exchange, the Shreveport team has taken steps to implement a community advisory council based on the Baton Rouge PSP model, which they expect to be executed by October 1, 2022. In addition, the Shreveport Police Department is working to make its website more interactive by including possibilities such as applying for employment and viewing policy updates, as well as ways for community members to make suggestions or ask questions related to the available policies. Finally, Shreveport is using the information it received during the peer exchange, such as model bylaws, and working with its city attorney to establish a police foundation.
Aurora Police Department
In July 2022, the National School Resource Officers (NASRO) conference was hosted in Aurora, Colorado. PSP Strategic Site Liaison (SSL) Susan Manheimer and DOJ Program Champion Scott Pestridge from the Office of Juvenile Justice and Delinquency Prevention facilitated a standing-room-only panel on Youth Violence Interventions. Panelists included Aurora Police Department Division Chief Mark Hildebrand, Director Jessica Processer from the City of Aurora, and Dr. Eric Sigel from Children’s Hospital Colorado, as well as the NASRO Board President, National Gang Center Director, and a representative from the Office of Community Oriented Policing Services.
Communities of Practice (CoPs) bring together those with common interests and/or professions to share lessons learned and promising practices, address today's challenges, refine skills through interactive engagements, and introduce members to new methods.
PSP has established CoPs in the areas of law enforcement leadership, crime analysis, prosecution, public information officers, and technology. Click here to learn more!
The PSP team encourages all active PSP sites to participate in the CoPs. Please contact info@pspartnership.org if you would like to join or learn more.
Communities of Practice
Events From April to June 2022
Crime Analysis Community of Practice (CACoP)
The CACoP promotes crime analysis as a core and integrated element of participating agencies. The CACoP provides opportunities to share strategies and work products and to discuss concepts to turn data into actionable information. The CACoP leverages the Bureau of Justice Assistance’s (BJA) varied and customizable array of training and technical assistance (TTA) to support the crime analysis needs of PSP sites.
CACoP: Product Showcase
Wednesday, June 8, 2022
The CACoP hosted a product showcase featuring analytic products currently produced by PSP site personnel. Ms. Annie Mitchell, lead subject-matter expert (SME) for CACoP, facilitated the discussion, and sites including Antioch, California; Charleston, South Carolina; and Wichita, Kanas, presented products and engaged in a question-and-answer session with the CACoP members. Ms. Mitchell concluded the presentation with some helpful tools and ideas on how to create products.
Key Takeaways
1. Less is more for analytical writing.
2. Identify the customer and their needs.
3. Bottom Line Up Front (BLUF).
Law Enforcement Leadership Community of Practice (LELCoP)
The LELCoP provides PSP site leadership with opportunities to hear from other leaders and discuss the unique challenges and responsibilities they face daily. The LELCoP provides an environment for PSP site leaders to discuss issues, strategies, and solutions they are engaging in to drive positive change in their communities.
LELCoP Roundtable
Monday, May 23, 2022
The LELCoP members discussed recruitment and retention strategies during this virtual event. The session began with welcoming remarks from BJA Director Karhlton Moore followed by a presentation on the 30X30 Initiative from Chief Ivonne Roman (retired) and Ms. Maureen McGough, Chief of Strategic Initiatives, New York University Policing Project. This was followed by a brief presentation from Deputy Chief Harold Pretel, Cleveland, Ohio, Division of Police, on strategies Cleveland is using to increase recruitment. Chief Sylvia Moir (retired) facilitated the discussion and provided time at the end of the session for LELCoP members to ask questions and discuss various related successes and issues.
Key Takeaways
1. The 30x30 Pledge can provide a series of no- or low-cost actions that policing agencies can take to improve the representation and experiences of women in sworn positions in all ranks.
2. Strategies Cleveland Division of Police uses:
- Working with potential recruits before physical test.
- Having no residency requirement.
- Allowing beards, baseball caps, and tattoos.
Prosecution Community of Practice (PCoP)
The PCoP encourages outreach and relationship-building among all prosecutors and district attorneys throughout the PSP network. The PCoP shares best and promising practices and innovative strategies to reduce violent crime, supports collaboration with law enforcement and the community, and supports PSP’s efforts to drive evidence-based prosecution and enhance public safety.
PCoP Roundtable
Thursday, May 19, 2022
The PCoP-hosted virtual event focused on cash bail. The event included welcoming remarks from Ms. Tammy Brown, Senior Policy Advisor for BJA, and Ms. Beth McGarry, PCoP lead SME. Ms. McGarry led a facilitated discussion with PCoP members and requested attendees' feedback and insights on cash bail and what types of changes their sites are experiencing regarding bail reform.
Key Takeaways
1. Leverage BJA’s National Training and Technical Assistance Center (NTTAC) for no-cost TTA to address site-specific challenges and issues. Visit NTTAC’s website to request TTA on a wide variety of criminal justice topics.
2. View this PCoP event recording and accompanying resource document on the private-access side of the PSP website to learn about the successes and challenges of PSP site representatives and other jurisdictions with bail reform.
Public Information Officer Community of Practice (PIOCoP)
Public information officers (PIOs) communicate critical information to the public and are frequently viewed as the “face” of an agency. To support the PIO’s critical role and responsibilities, the PIOCoP facilitates learning and networking opportunities among PSP site PIOs about community engagement strategies, proactive messaging, and media relations.
PIOCoP Roundtable
Thursday, May 12, 2022
This PIOCoP virtual event focused on proactive messaging, specifically when it comes to social media and local media. Lead SME and communications strategist Ms. Laura McElroy led the discussion and facilitated presentations from PSP site representatives that included Anniston, Alabama; Baltimore, Maryland; and Phoenix, Arizona. The examples from these PSP sites provided the audience with ideas on how to best utilize social and local media.
Key Takeaways
1. Use simple but compelling campaigns.
2. Partner with local professional sports teams, local colleges, or other organizations to expand audience outreach.
3. Utilize social media to communicate with the community.
Technology Community of Practice (TCoP)
PSP established the TCoP to provide an opportunity for PSP site technology professionals to collaborate and discuss the increasingly critical and expansive role that technology plays in daily crime fighting. The TCoP shares promising practices and innovative methods to help address law enforcement’s technology-related challenges and needs in procuring, implementing, and leveraging technology to build capacities in areas that are critical to fighting crime.
TCoP Roundtable
Monday, June 6, 2022
The TCoP hosted a PSP network-wide virtual event on the National Computer Forensics Institute (NCFI). Located in Hoover, Alabama, NCFI is a federally funded training center dedicated to training, educating, and equipping state, local, tribal, and territorial law enforcement officers, prosecutors, and judges on cyber and electronic crimes and related threats. NCFI trainer Special Agent Chris Lee provided a presentation on NCFI’s various offerings and detailed the process of signing up for trainings, equipment, and other resources. The presentation was followed by a discussion facilitated by the TCoP lead SME, Sergeant Patrick Kinney, Chicago, Illinois, PD.
Key Takeaways
1. Travel, lodging, equipment (in some classes), and course fees are provided at no cost to NCFI attendees or their agencies.
2. Today’s high-tech environment presents new challenges to law enforcement and the justice system. To address these challenges, NCFI offers basic, advanced, and prosecutor/judicial courses. Law enforcement courses can be applied for by contacting your local United States Secret Service (USSS) field office. Prosecutors and judges can apply either by contacting NCFI directly or by contacting your local USSS field office.
-Training and Technical Assistance-
The PSP team is continuing to deliver on-site engagements, including peer exchanges and assessments, to support law enforcement agencies and PSP partners. The following engagements, held between April and June 2022, covered a variety of topics aimed at reducing violent crime and enhancing public safety.
- On-Site Peer Exchanges-
April 26, 2022—Tulsa, Oklahoma, to New York County, New York, District Attorney’s Office High-Tech Analysis Unit Peer Exchange
The New York County peer exchange exposed the Tulsa PSP site to the High-Tech Analysis Unit at the New York County District Attorney’s (DA) Office. Attendees were provided a unique opportunity to interact with the line-level staff that are responsible for processing and recovering large volumes of digital evidence. Attendees were also given a presentation from the Manhattan DA’s Crime Strategies Unit and the Cyber Crime and Identity Theft Bureau.
April 14, 2022—Group Peer Exchange/PIOCoP to Fairfax, Virginia
The Fairfax County, Virginia, Police Department’s (PD) Public Information Office (PIO) hosted an on-site peer exchange for Amarillo, Texas; Baltimore, Maryland; Charleston, South Carolina; Cleveland, Ohio; Louisville, Kentucky; Phoenix, Arizona; and Richmond, Virginia. The Fairfax PIO provided information to the sites on agency branding, strategic communication planning, successful PIO structures, social media, critical incidents, and how the office works on messaging with the Fairfax County PD’s Victim Services Division. The attendees discussed their questions and the challenges and successes their PIOs are experiencing with the presenters and each other throughout the event. Toward the end of the day, the attendees were able to tour the Fairfax press room and speak with Chief of Police Kevin Davis on his thoughts and recommendations regarding the PIO’s role.
May 9–10, 2022—Place Network Investigations Workshop, Denver, Colorado
The University of Cincinnati and the Arnold Foundation hosted the Place Network Investigations (PNI) Workshop in Denver, Colorado, to educate law enforcement practitioners on the PNI violence reduction strategy. This workshop provided attendees an opportunity to gain additional technical assistance and engage in peer-to-peer exchange on effective PNI implementation. Planned workshop session topics included building, directing, and supervising PNI investigative teams; kickstarting, managing, and troubleshooting PNI; leveraging legal assistance; maximizing data analysis to support PNI; strategies for amplifying community voices; and connecting PNI to other violence reduction initiatives. BJA Director Karhlton Moore provided opening remarks for the event, and the workshop included testimonials and case studies from researchers and law enforcement agencies from Las Vegas, Nevada; Dallas, Texas; Denver, Colorado; and Cincinnati, Ohio, on the PNI strategy. Nine PSP sites attended the two-day workshop and were able to interact with researchers and their peers as they consider the PNI strategy for their communities.
April 22–24, 2022—Group Peer Exchange/LELCoP to Harvard University Public Safety Summit
The PSP LELCoP provided an opportunity to invite senior executives from the various PSP sites to attend the 2022 Public Safety Summit at Harvard University. Attendees had the opportunity to observe and participate in a high-level, nationwide discussion related to the various challenges the criminal justice and law enforcement fields are facing in the wake of an unprecedented pandemic and spike in violent crime.
June 16, 2022—Harris County, Texas, Peer Exchange to Nashville, Tennessee
The Nashville peer exchange provided the Harris County PSP site a unique opportunity to interact on-site with the supervisory and crime analysis staff at the Nashville Metro PD. The Harris County Sheriff’s Office had been provided several virtual interactions previously to increase its knowledge of social network analysis and associated technologies. This on-site peer visit allowed Harris County to see the technology and workflow processes that the Nashville Metro PD has integrated into its day-to-day efforts to use intelligence to reduce violent crime in its community.
May 17–18, 2022—Group Peer Exchange to Phoenix, Arizona
This PSP network-wide peer exchange exposed attendees from six PSP sites to the various violent crime investigative practices that the Phoenix PD utilizes to maintain a very high homicide clearance rate. Attendees were provided a walking tour of the Phoenix Crime Gun Intelligence Center and the Phoenix PD Crime Lab, both of which are high-functioning and cutting-edge in their workflows.
June 30, 2022—Group Peer Exchange to Oakland, California
The Oakland PD hosted five PSP sites to attend and observe a shoot review and witness firsthand its Operation Ceasefire Shoot Review process. Attendees were exposed to the history and evolution of the ceasefire effort, which helped them to understand the associated workflows. Attendees were also provided a unique opportunity to interact with local service providers and the various community partners that form a collaborative strategy in Oakland to respond to and prevent retaliatory violence.
June 21–22, 2022—Group Peer Exchange to Las Vegas, Nevada
The Las Vegas Metro PD hosted six PSP sites for an overview and on-site tour of the Las Vegas Fusion Watch Center. Attendees were exposed to the various technologies utilized by the fusion watch center and provided with numerous case studies of how technology is infused into the Las Vegas Metro PD’s efforts to collaborate with community partners to reduce crime. Attendees were also provided an overview of the investigative response to the Mandalay Bay massacre that occurred on October 1, 2017. In addition, attendees were provided overviews of the Las Vegas Metro PD’s staffing procedures for large-scale events as well as its PNI strategy.
June 1, 2022—Cleveland, Ohio, and Phoenix, Arizona, Peer Exchange to Chicago, Illinois
This peer exchange was hosted by the Chicago PD and exposed attendees from the Phoenix and Cleveland PDs to its Strategic Decision Support Centers and the Area Technology Centers. Attendees were provided overviews of each center’s integration and utilization of multiple technologies, personnel staffing structures, and the associated policies and workflows that guide the day-to-day operations of one of the busiest crime intelligence efforts in the world.
June 6, 2022—Anniston and Oxford, Alabama, to El Paso Intelligence Center (EPIC), El Paso, Texas
This peer exchange was coordinated in collaboration with the Birmingham, Alabama, U.S. Drug Enforcement Administration (DEA) Office. The peer exchange fostered networking among peers in the Anniston/Oxford PSP site including DEA, the United States Attorney’s Office, the Calhoun County Sheriff’s Office, the Calhoun County DA’s Office, and the Oxford PD. Attendees were exposed to the intelligence and case support resources and assistance that EPIC can provide agencies at no cost. Attendees were also provided a unique opportunity to interact with U.S. Customs and Border Patrol and given a tour of the southwest border operations in the El Paso sector of operations.
April 20–21, 2022—Baltimore, Maryland, and Anchorage, Alaska, Peer Exchange to Milwaukee, Wisconsin
The Milwaukee PD hosted a peer-to-peer exchange for Baltimore and Anchorage to observe firsthand the Milwaukee PD’s criminal intelligence process for social network analysis of shooting review subjects and how it conducts fatal and nonfatal shooting investigations, intelligence gathering, and analysis. The goal of the peer exchange was to reduce violent crime through enhanced analysis and technology, community engagement, strategic partnerships, and evidence-based strategies.
- On-Site Nonfatal Shooting (NFS) Assessments-
Part of PSP’s comprehensive approach is to offer a series of assessments related to PSP’s focus areas. The objective of each assessment is to provide an understanding of challenges and opportunities for growth within the participating departments and agencies. The PSP site team will use the assessment results to help develop a PSP Strategic Plan to address violent crime and public safety priorities, supported by all local and federal partners.
June 2022—Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, On-Site NFS Assessment
May 2022—Charleston and North Charleston, South Carolina, On-Site NFS Assessment
-Virtual Academy-
PSP, in collaboration with leading law enforcement experts and practitioners, has developed interactive, virtual courses on law enforcement topics identified to be of great importance and shared interest to PSP network-wide and beyond.
These courses are available nationwide to requesting law enforcement professionals as part of the PSP Virtual Academy. All the courses within the Virtual Academy are self-paced, and students can access the platform using computers, smartphones, and tablets. Upon completion, students are given an opportunity to print and save a completion certificate. This can then be shared with their training staff or placed in their training records.
Click here to learn more: Virtual Academy (nationalpublicsafetypartnership.org).
Coming Soon!
One only has to review the day’s news to understand that ghost guns, or privately made firearms (PMFs), are a rapidly growing area of concern for law enforcement and for our communities. It is hard to determine the exact frequency and volume of PMF recoveries associated with criminal behavior because this an emerging problem in most of the country and, as a result, law enforcement has not yet established uniform procedures for identifying and documenting their recovery. This PSP Virtual Academy training course is designed to provide participants with the knowledge, skills, and abilities needed to identify, accurately describe, and document PMFs and a uniform methodology for accounting for them in the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives’ (ATF) Firearms Tracing System (FTS).
Featured Toolkits: Analytical, Community, Federal, Hate Crimes, and Mass Shootings
In light of the recent hate crime and mass shooting incidents across the country, the National Public Safety Partnership (PSP) has curated a collection of resources that address these tragic events from a variety of law enforcement perspectives. We extend condolences to our law enforcement partners and their communities in light of these events, and we want you to know that PSP is here to help and support you.
The Public Safety Clearinghouse is a public online tool that serves as a one-stop shop for violence reduction and public safety resources from DOJ program components and other federal entities. The Clearinghouse functions as an online catalog for users to browse, search, and ultimately build a custom toolkit of resources that can be downloaded in one package and shared with others.
Designed for maximum functionality on your smartphone or tablet, the Public Safety Clearinghouse mobile app offers a convenient, single point of access to DOJ violence reduction and public safety resources for the criminal justice field. Download the Public Safety Clearinghouse mobile app today by scanning the QR code, clicking on the Apple or Android link, or visiting your mobile app store.
If you have questions or would like to recommend any DOJ-sponsored resources to the Clearinghouse, please contact info@pspartnership.org.
-Contact Us-
We want to hear from you! Do you have a success story or information that you would like to feature in future editions of The PSP Impact?
Please contact info@pspartnership.org for suggestions on items to spotlight.
This project was supported by Grant No. 2019-DG-BX-K006 awarded by the Bureau of Justice Assistance. The Bureau of Justice Assistance is a component of the U.S. Department of Justice's Office of Justice Programs, which also includes the Bureau of Justice Statistics, the National Institute of Justice, the Office of Juvenile Justice and Delinquency Prevention, the Office for Victims of Crime, and the Office of Sex Offender Sentencing, Monitoring, Apprehending, Registering, and Tracking (SMART). Points of view or opinions in this document are those of the author and do not necessarily represent the official position or policies of the U.S Department of Justice.
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