On May 23, 2022, the Department of Justice announced guidance to help law enforcement agencies (LEAs) recognize, mitigate, and prevent gender bias and other biases from compromising the response to, and investigation of, sexual assault, domestic violence, and other forms of gender-based violence.  The department is committed to reducing violent crime, building strong communities, and ending gender-based violence.  The 2022 guidance builds on the first principle of the department’s comprehensive strategy to reduce violent crime by building trust through meaningful law enforcement engagement with, and accountability to, the communities they serve, including survivors of sexual assault and domestic violence.

Hosted by the National Institute of Justice (NIJ), this podcast discusses how the human microbiome, consisting of trillions of bacteria, fungi, and viruses that live in and on every one of us—has become increasingly important to criminal investigators as they have realized that we all leave traces of our unique microbial evidence wherever we go.   In a new Justice Today podcast episode, Gregory Dutton, a physical scientist at NIJ, joins science writer Jim Dawson to discuss the microbiome: what it is, how it applies to forensics, and the evolution of its role in forensic science. 

Published by the Comprehensive Opioid, Stimulant, and Substance Abuse Program (COSSAP) and funded by the Bureau of Justice Assistance, this brief discusses first responder deflection (FRD) and pre-arrest diversion programming to combat the opioid crisis and assist individuals suffering from substance use disorder (SUD). The brief provides recommendations to law enforcement for addressing specific public safety challenges faced by law enforcement and other first responders in their communities. 

Hosted by the National White-Collar Crime Center (NW3C) and funded by the Bureau of Justice Assistance, this webinar explores IoT through the optics of the investigator and the examiner.  The webinar will examine the most popular IoT technology; essential planning in any case; how to identify and search for relevant technologies at search or crime scenes; what digital evidence is available locally versus remotely; what tools are available to assist in collection and analysis; what you should know about IoT-related legal process; and where to obtain additional resources, focused training, and technical assistance.  Attendees will gain a better understanding of the challenges presented by IoT to investigators and examiners, as well as available resources and solutions.

When: Thursday, June 9, 2022
Time: 1:00 p.m. – 2:30 p.m., ET

Hosted by the Justice Clearinghouse and funded by the American Society of Evidence-Based Policing, this webinar discusses the lack of research on de-escalation, including the applications in the field and the impact of de-escalation training on officer behavior.  The Tempe (Arizona) Smart Policing Initiative (SPI) project attempted to fill this gap through the development, delivery, and evaluation of a customized de-escalation training program for sworn field personnel.  The curriculum, rooted heavily in the local expertise of peer-nominated Top De-escalators, addresses topics ranging from pre-shift health and wellness to scene management and post-incident debriefs. Evaluation findings highlight the positive effects of the training on officer perceptions and behaviors, as well as citizen satisfaction with police interactions.  The study also highlights the value of body-worn camera footage as a nuanced tool to capture the impact of training on officer behavior.  These results have implications for other law enforcement agencies looking to implement de-escalation training, policies, and use-of-force review processes, as well as the criminal justice field more broadly to include applications for detention and dispatch personnel, among others.

When: Tuesday, June 14, 2022
Time: 3:00 p.m. – 4:15 p.m., ET