Published by the U.S. Senate Committee on Homeland Security and Governmental Affairs, this report evaluates the nation’s intelligence services and lessons learned since the January 6, 2021, U.S. Capitol Riot. With Senator Gary Peters (D-MI) at the helm as chairman, Committee staff members reviewed the amount and types of intelligence gathered by the Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI) and the Department of Homeland Security’s (DHS) Office of Intelligence and Analysis (I&A) leading up to January 6, as well as communication and coordination with partnering agencies and law enforcement to share that intelligence. The Peters report found that while the FBI and the I&A had sizeable amounts of intelligence that suggested great potential for violence and disruption on January 6, they seriously underestimated the true threat level and failed to communicate this critical information to partnering agencies. This failure resulted in frontline law enforcement officers being ill-prepared to prevent or effectively respond to the attack on the U.S. Capitol Complex. The report offers seven recommendations directed at the FBI, DHS-I&A, and Congress to address the failures of each agency as well as take steps to prevent future threats from casting a pall over national events that should be demonstrations of democracy and peaceful transitions of power. 

Funded by the Bureau of Justice Assistance and hosted by the Council of State Governments Justice Center, this webinar will discuss New Jersey’s Mobile Response and Stabilization Services (MRSS) program, which connects families anywhere in the state to a behavioral health worker at any time to provide immediate support for youth in a behavioral health crisis. Participants will also hear about the Atlantic City, New Jersey, Police Department’s collaborative partnership and experiences with connecting youth and families to MRSS during calls for service. There will be a question-and-answer period for jurisdictions that might be considering a police-mental health collaboration.

When: Wednesday, July 12, 2023
Time: 2:00 p.m. – 3:30 p.m., ET

Hosted by the Justice Clearinghouse, this webinar discusses how to more accurately identify and recognize human trafficking in the field. Some agencies supply the bare minimum or outdated human trafficking training during basic academy or in-service training. Nationwide staffing shortages often lead to minimizing time on the scene, going further into questioning, or even looking deeper during investigations related to other crimes that may be related to human trafficking.  It is estimated that there are more than 400,000 human trafficking victims in the United States alone. During this webinar, two experienced investigators will discuss multiple incidents in which they failed to recognize human trafficking while working on drug and gang-related cases.

When: Thursday, July 20, 2023
Time: 1:00 p.m. – 2:15 p.m., ET

Funded by the Bureau of Justice Assistance (BJA) and hosted by the Small and Rural Law Enforcement Executives Association, this conference will focus on topics that are of interest to law enforcement personnel and leadership in small and rural areas.  Attendees can visit the exhibit area for resources from BJA.

When: Monday – Wednesday, July 31 – August 2, 2023
Where: Petersburg, Virginia

Published by the Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI), this article discusses how a Navajo FBI employee serves victims after crimes occur on indigenous lands. Navigating to distant, obscure, and sometimes missing pins on a map is part of the job in what the federal government refers to as Indian Country, where the FBI investigates the most serious crimes on nearly 200 reservations. More than 150 special agents work alongside tribal and federal partners on Native American lands. Federal law requires that victims of crimes such as murder, child and adult sexual abuse, kidnapping, and violent felony assaults receive resources and support.  For the FBI, that role belongs to the Victim Services Division (VSD) and victim specialists.