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"On October 5, 2022, a respected professor and community leader, Dr. Thomas Meixner, was shot and killed in the John W. Harshbarger (“Harshbarger”) building by the alleged suspect (“the Subject”), a former University of Arizona graduate student. On October 24, 2022, PAX Group, LLC, (“PAX” or “PAX Group”) was retained by the University of Arizona (“University”) and began conducting an independent… (read more)

RAND researchers created this tool to advance efforts to prevent and reduce intentional, interpersonal firearm violence and public mass attacks in the United States. The goal of this tool is to provide practical strategies and guidance on deterring, mitigating, and responding to mass attacks for a variety of audiences, including public safety experts, practitioners, policymakers, community groups… (read more)

The Institute of Medicine of the National Academies Forum on Medical and Public Health Preparedness for Catastrophic Events held a workshop to examine the current capabilities of emergency response systems and the future opportunities to improve mass casualty response in rural communities. This report provides a summary of the workshop.

The NDPC is a partnership of several nationally recognized organizations whose membership is based on the urgent need to address the counter-terrorism preparedness needs of the nation's emergency first responders within the context of all hazards including chemical, biological, radiological, and explosive Weapons of Mass Destruction (WMD) hazards. The mission of the NDPC is to enhance the… (read more)

The goal of this document is to provide guidance and share best practices to local officials on planning, training, equipping (including personal protective equipment (PPE), as well as the stages of response and recovery. It includes recommendations on all the phases of response. Community involvement is integral in planning, mitigation, response, and recovery, but this document is specifically… (read more)

In the last several years, U.S. Law Enforcement has seen a dramatic increase in the availability of dangerous synthetic opioids. A large majority of these synthetic opioids are structural derivatives of the synthetic drug fentanyl. Fentanyl is a synthetic opioid currently listed as a Schedule II prescription drug that mimics the effects of morphine in the human body, but has potency 50-100 times… (read more)

These recommendations are the result of a Federal Interagency Working Group coordinated by the White House National Security Council. Stakeholder associations and organizations representing the medical, public health, law enforcement, Fire/EMS, and occupational safety and health disciplines provided invaluable input to inform the Interagency Working Group's efforts, and their feedback helped… (read more)

SAFECOM helps the public safety community and local, tribal, state, and federal policy makers address critical elements for success as they plan and implement interoperability solutions. SAFECOM developed the Interoperability Continuum that visually depicts the core facets of interoperability according to the stated needs and challenges of the public safety community and aids the efforts of… (read more)

This document presents general information about the role, structure, and operations of governing bodies charged with improving communications interoperability at the local, regional, tribal, or state level. Material and information presented in this document should be viewed as general guidance that individual communities should consider in establishing interoperability-related governance that… (read more)

In 2014, the Department of Homeland Security (DHS) Office of Emergency Communications (OEC) released the National Emergency Communications Plan (NECP) with the emphasis on enhancing decision-making, coordination, and planning for emergency communications through strong governance structures. The Emergency Communications Governance Guide for State, Local, Tribal, and Territorial Officials (… (read more)

The Governance Guide serves as a comprehensive tool that provides recommendations and best practices for emergency communications officials at all levels of government to establish, assess, and update governance structures that represent all emergency communications capabilities (Land Mobile Radio [LMR], broadband, 911/Next Generation 911 [NG911], alerts and warnings). Developed with direct input… (read more)

Active shooter situations are unpredictable and evolve quickly. Typically, the immediate deployment of law enforcement is required to stop the shooting and mitigate harm to victims. Because active shooter situations are often over within 10 to 15 minutes, before law enforcement arrives on the scene, individuals must be prepared both mentally and physically to deal with an active shooter situation… (read more)

Given the increasing number and consistency of active shooter incidents, thousands of first responders, including police/law enforcement, campus public safety officials, and security officers, have undertaken active shooter or active threat trainings. These trainings evolve as best practices are updated to reflect new information that emerges from incidents. Anecdotal evidence suggests that… (read more)

The Office for Victims of Crime (OVC) in coordination with the Federal Bureau of Investigation's Office for Victim Assistance and the U.S. Department of Justice's Office of Justice for Victims of Overseas Terrorism developed this toolkit to help communities prepare for and respond to victims of mass violence and terrorism in the most timely, effective, and compassionate manner possible. Lessons… (read more)

In 2013, the U.S. Department of Justice, Office of Justice Programs, Office for Victims of Crime, awarded a grant to Northeastern University's Institute on Urban Health Research and Practice to work with stakeholders in the field to develop the Vicarious Trauma Toolkit (VTT). The VTT was developed on the premise that exposure to the traumatic experiences of other people known as vicarious trauma… (read more)

The nation's rural emergency responders face unique challenges when compared to their urban counterparts. In recognizing the need for consistent, quality training which addresses those challenges, Congress and the Department of Homeland Security (DHS) established the Rural Domestic Preparedness Consortium (RDPC or the Consortium) to develop and deliver relevant all-hazards training in support of… (read more)

The Department of Homeland Security (DHS) Office of Emergency Communications (OEC) developed, with stakeholder input, this guide to provide recommendations for implementing a robust, stakeholder-driven, governance system focusing on emergency communications interoperability. This guide is a starting point from which your organization can begin to plan and implement regional governance structures… (read more)

Recent improvised explosive device (IED) and active shooter incidents reveal that some traditional practices of first responders need to be realigned and enhanced to improve survivability of victims and the safety of first responders caring for them. This Federal, multi-disciplinary first responder guidance translates evidence-based response strategies from the U.S. military's vast experience in… (read more)

Emergency communications is a shared mission across all levels of government; the private sector, including private cultural and educational institutions; nongovernmental organizations; and even the public. The 2014 National Emergency Communications Plan (NECP) provides information and guidance to those that plan for, coordinate, invest in, and use operable and interoperable communications for… (read more)

The Lethality Screen is a field tool adapted from Dr. Jacquelyn Campbell’s Danger Assessment, a screening instrument used by counselors and clinicians to assess a victim’s risk of homicide or severe re-assault. The Lethality Screen is a tool used as part of the Lethality Assessment Program (LAP). The LAP is initiated when a trained officer arrives at the scene of a domestic call, or when a… (read more)

This toolkit offers strategies to health care providers, communities, and local governments for developing practices and policies to help prevent opioid-related overdoses and deaths. Sections of the toolkit cover opioid use disorder facts, five essential steps for first responders, information for prescribers, safety advice for patients and family members, and resources for those recovering from… (read more)

The goal of this guide is to provide law enforcement executives with best practices regarding first responder mental health best practices learned from colleagues unfortunate enough to have experienced a mass casualty event. The National Alliance on Mental Illness brought together chiefs, mental health professionals, and others with first-hand knowledge to provide readers with a concise… (read more)

On December 2, 2015, at 10:59 AM, the Inland Regional Center in San Bernardino, California, came under attack. Many of the lessons learned during the response to the attack tie into the principles of community policing and continue to build on the body of knowledge that exists to assist law enforcement agencies in their mission to protect and strengthen relationships with their community. This… (read more)

This VALOR webinar was held on August 16, 2016. Participants learned about active shooter events and considerations that law enforcement officers should be aware of when responding to an active shooter event. Leading experts from the Advanced Law Enforcement Rapid Response Training (ALERRT) Program discussed: statistics of active shooter events; risks associated with response to active shooter… (read more)

This quasi-experimental evaluation examined the effectiveness of the Lethality Assessment Program (LAP), a collaboration between police and social service providers that aimed to decrease rates of repeat, severe, lethal and near-lethal domestic violence while increasing rates of emergency safety planning and help-seeking. Under LAP, a police officer responding to the scene of a domestic violence… (read more)

The Neurobiology of Sexual Assault: Implications for First Responders in Law Enforcement, Prosecution and Victim Advocacy is part of the National Institute of Justice's translational criminology seminar series and features Dr. Rebecca Campbell of Michigan State University. Dr. Campbell discusses the research on the neurobiology of trauma and the criminal justice system response to sexual assault… (read more)

The OLTI provides free, state-of-the art training to anyone who is interested, on the topic of criminal justice response to sexual assault. The OLTI offers the opportunity for interested professionals to expand their knowledge of cutting edge developments in the criminal justice and community response to sexual assault, with particular emphasis on those crimes committed by someone who is known to… (read more)

The purpose of this policy is to emphasize that an effective response to the needs of crime victims is an integral part of the law enforcement mission. This essential function, performed by both sworn and civilian personnel, should address victims' needs by establishing a continuum of support as victims progress through the various phases of the criminal justice process. As first responders, law… (read more)

This paper is designed to accompany the Model Policy on Response to Victims of Crime established by the IACP National Law Enforcement Policy Center. It provides essential background material and supporting documentation on the developmental philosophy and implementation requirements of the model policy. This material will be of value to law enforcement executives in their efforts to tailor the… (read more)

The Memphis Crisis Intervention Team (CIT) is an innovative police based first responder program that provides law enforcement based crisis intervention training for helping those individuals with mental illness. CIT works in partnership with those in mental health care to provide a system of services that is friendly to the individuals with mental illness, family members, and police officers.… (read more)

The primary objective of this project is to understand model policies and practices across a spectrum of disciplines and provider types that will lead to a better prepared EMS deployment to mass care incidents. While not a comprehensive guidance document, this project should serve as a foundation for further development of EMS specific policies and templates that improve EMS readiness to manage… (read more)