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Student mental health programs and services are in large demand at institutions of higher education throughout the United States, and many are facing substantial challenges in meeting that demand. Those challenges, in turn, have many colleges and universities re-evaluating their services to prevent and intervene in incidents involving persons with mental health concerns. To learn more about the… (read more)

Student mental health programs and services are in large demand at institutions of higher education throughout the United States, and many are facing substantial challenges in meeting that demand. Those challenges, in turn, have many colleges and universities re-evaluating their services to prevent and intervene in incidents involving persons with mental health concerns. To learn more about the… (read more)

Under the Clery Act, all colleges and universities receiving federal funding must share information about crime on and around campus and their efforts to improve campus safety. They must also provide support for certain crime victims and disclose certain crime-related policies and procedures. However, the complexity of the legislation, resource limitations, and changes in the Act have created… (read more)

Under the Clery Act, all colleges and universities receiving federal funding must share information about crime on and around campus and their efforts to improve campus safety. They must also provide support for certain crime victims and disclose certain crime-related policies and procedures. However, the complexity of the legislation, resource limitations, and changes in the Act have created… (read more)

Under the Clery Act, all colleges and universities receiving federal funding must share information about crime on and around campus and their efforts to improve campus safety. They must also provide support for certain crime victims and disclose certain crime-related policies and procedures. However, the complexity of the legislation, resource limitations, and changes in the Act have created… (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)

This publication consists of a consolidated DVD and discussion guide produced by OVC to provide broader accessibility to three popular videos and companion guides that were originally released as part of the 2005 National Victim Assistance Academy curriculum. Now with updated resources and a contemporary format, the DVD and guide remain valuable training tools for a broad range of service… (read more)

The National Center on Safe Supportive Learning Environments (NCSSLE), funded by the U.S. Department of Education's Office of Safe and Healthy Students, hosted a webinar on December 17, 2015 and discussed the latest research on hazing and described implications for campus personnel. The event featured a video introduction from Secretary of Education Arne Duncan and also offered practical… (read more)

Hazing is behavior that humiliates, degrades, abuses, or endangers someone for the purpose of gaining or maintaining membership in a group regardless of a person's willingness to participate. Hazing events are commonplace in American schools with nearly half (47%) of students in the United States reporting they had experienced hazing before entering college, and three in five college students… (read more)

This publication is the product of an ongoing collaboration between the Secret Service and the Department of Education. The focus is on the use of the threat assessment process pioneered by the Secret Service as one component of the Department of Education's efforts to help schools across the nation reduce school violence and create safe climates. This guide sets forth a process for identifying,… (read more)

This study aimed to further the prevention of targeted school-based attacks by exploring how students with prior knowledge of attacks made decisions regarding what steps, if any, to take after learning the information. The study also sought to identify what might be done to encourage more students to share information they learn about potential targeted school-based violence with one or more… (read more)

Options for Consideration demonstrates possible actions to take if confronted with an active shooter scenario. The video also shows how to assist authorities once law enforcement enters the scene.

This project sought to determine the optimized message contents of imminent threat wireless emergency alert (WEA) messages delivered over mobile communication devices. This report presents findings for the first WEA messages disseminated about imminent threats (i.e., first alert messages) from two research phases with U.S. adults: (1) eight experiments, seven focus groups and 50 think-out-loud… (read more)

This free, online repository offers a variety of resources to empower practitioners and campus leaders to better prepare for, respond to, and recover from various threats and hazards relevant to the academic community. The resources included represent a variety of federal, state, local, private-sector, emergency management, and academic association entities. Resources in the library are organized… (read more)

This report highlights a collective effort to better understand how American Indian and Alaska Native (AI/AN) communities can gather information about suicide, in ways that are feasible and culturally appropriate, to assist in planning and demonstrating the success of their suicide prevention efforts. The purpose of this project is to support tribal Garrett Lee Smith grantees in their data… (read more)

"ICAT: Integrating Communications, Assessment, and Tactics is PERF's new report in the Critical Issues in Policing Series. This report builds on PERF's work over the last two years on re-engineering policies and training on use of force. ICAT represents a new way of thinking about how police officers can be taught to effectively and safely defuse critical incidents by bringing together… (read more)

Most sexual assaults never even come to the attention of police. As recently as 2014, the federal Bureau of Justice Statistics found that only one-third of rapes and sexual assaults were being reported to police. Media reports, congressional hearings, research, the change in the FBI definition of rape, rape kit backlogs, high-profile cases of sexual assault on college campuses, and Justice… (read more)

PERF police chiefs and their community representatives came together for a national discussion on the challenges of police-community trust. The community leaders and police chiefs provided constructive ideas about improving police-community relationships. Police agencies across the nation can use this report to guide their efforts in building trust with their communities.

This report, the 17th in the Critical Issues in Policing series, addresses the issue of policing major events, both planned and unplanned, such as political demonstrations, natural disasters, and acts of terrorism. The report aims to explore some of the key issues that have proved important or difficult in the real world of policing. PERF's approach to this project was to bring police… (read more)

The purpose of this guide is to consolidate the experience that campus and community law enforcement agencies have gained in conducting party patrols across jurisdictions and share that information with agencies looking for more effective tools to help manage party-related problems. This guide covers six basic components that together will maximize the chances of having success with party patrols… (read more)

Creating a safe community at your college or university involves managing external relations and off-campus conduct. Off-campus community issues such as loud parties, noise complaints, alcohol and drug abuse, and disorderly or violent student conduct cannot be reduced or resolved with a reactive approach alone. It is vital for campus public safety, local law enforcement, administrators, and other… (read more)

SAMHSA promotes and implements prevention and early intervention strategies to reduce the impact of mental and substance use disorders in America's communities. Find information on grants and funding that support programs related to the prevention of substance abuse and mental illness; SAMHSA publications and related resources on the prevention of substance abuse and mental illness; and early… (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)

Building Resilient and Trauma-Informed Communities is essential to improving public health and well-being. communities can be places where traumatic events occur, and they can also help keep us safe. they can be a source of trauma, or buffer us against the negative effects of adversity. Communities can collectively experience trauma much like individuals do, and they can be a resource for healing… (read more)

This guidebook provides police practitioners with a resource for conducting problem analysis. It is not a text on research methods but instead identifies issues and concerns police practitioners face in analyzing problems. This guide does not do the "thinking" for problem-solving practitioners, but instead provides a starting point and tips for effective problem analysis. This guidebook builds on… (read more)

The goal of this toolkit is to help law enforcement agencies accomplish the following objectives: strengthen partnerships between law enforcement and the community, further the community's role as a partner in crime reduction efforts, identify and address social issues that diminish the quality of life and threaten public safety in communities, and link those in need to services and resources… (read more)

This publication is designed to provide practical advice on many aspects of the Early Intervention System (EIS), including defining the role of the first-line supervisor, structuring the intervention process for officers who have reached (or are about to reach) a threshold within the system, identifying ways to provide the various programs and services that supplement and reinforce EIS, and… (read more)

Strengthening the Relationship between Law Enforcement and Communities of Color: Developing an Agenda is a summary of a forum the Office of Community Oriented Policing Services (COPS Office) hosted with law enforcement officials, civil right activists, academic experts, community leaders, and policy makers at the Ford Foundation in New York City. This meeting focused on identifying what can be… (read more)

The American public has expressed increasing alarm over incidents of multiple casualty violence. While the law enforcement community has progressed in advancing training in the tactical response to incidents, there are significant gaps in strategies aimed at preventing multiple casualty violence. To address this need, the U.S. Department of Homeland Security's Federal Law Enforcement Training… (read more)

Stalking creates uncertainty, instills fear, and can completely disrupt lives. This guide reviews the problem of stalking and the factors that contribute to it. It identifies a series of questions to help law enforcement analyze their local problem. Finally, it reviews responses to the problem of stalking and what is known about them from evaluative research and police practice.

An Early Intervention System is a system that statistically compares law enforcement employee performance against a range of numerical norms and helps assess which employee may need help with their personal or professional problems. In this guide, the San Diego Police Department documents its experience, along with a useful step-by-step outline, in order to help other organizations build their… (read more)

This guide is intended as a reference for those who are interested in implementing a problem-solving approach and contains information and insights into the process of reducing crime and disorder through problem-solving partnerships. It takes the reader step by step through solving problems, offers examples of problem-solving from the field, and provides additional resources.

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)

This guidebook summarizes for police practitioners lessons on recruiting and retaining divers, effective workforces. It provides a means for local officials to identify what has been tried elsewhere and what might be applicable in their own communities. It is a broad analysis of issues confronting many agencies and how these have developed over time. Each agency will face unique circumstances… (read more)

As the issue of recruiting and retaining quality law enforcement officers makes national headlines, this report helps fill the void by telling the story of how five sites selected to participate in a COPS-funded project entitled "Hiring in the Spirit of Service," implemented significant change into existing hiring processes to recruit and select law enforcement officers that reflect a more… (read more)

This guide begins by describing the problem of hate crimes and reviewing factors that increase its risks. It then identifies a series of questions to help you analyze your local hate crimes problem. It reviews responses to the problem and what is known about these from evaluative research and police practice. Specifically, it describes what you can do to reduce underlying tension in the community… (read more)

Police departments are far more complex than they were a generation or two ago. Though personnel are still accountable for traditional responsibilities such as calls for service and crime investigation, police have expanded their mission greatly, taking on the goals of preventing crime and reducing crime rates. Rather than focusing solely on responding to crimes after they are committed, today's… (read more)

The purpose of this report is to explore how campus public safety departments (CPSDs) staffing levels are actually determined, what agencies are able to achieve with the number of staff available to them, what challenges they face in this respect, and to explore whether there is any potential for developing a means of determining appropriate staffing levels for CPSDs. Most importantly, this… (read more)

This publication explores the benefits and risks of Early Intervention Systems and discusses successful systems all over the country, focusing on large agencies.

While the law enforcement community has progressed in advancing training in the tactical response to incidents, there are significant gaps in strategies aimed at preventing multiple casualty violence. To address this need, the U.S. Department of Homeland Security's Federal Law Enforcement Training Centers has collaborated with the U.S. Department of Justice's Office of Community Oriented Policing… (read more)

Understanding the challenges that public perceptions of small unmanned aircraft systems (sUAS) bring, the Police Foundation, in partnership with the U.S. Department of Justice, Office of Community Oriented Policing Services (COPS), developed this guidebook to help public safety agencies successfully assess the appropriateness of acquiring sUAS in their jurisdiction, all the while ensuring public… (read more)

The first chapter of this publication discusses the key concepts for strengthening trust and collaboration between police executives and labor leaders. These key principles focus on finding common ground, engaging in open communication and seek input from one another, handling disagreements with respect and professionalism, understanding and respecting each other's roles and responsibilities, and… (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 guide describes the problem of acquaintance rape of college students, addressing its scope, causes, and contributing factors; methods for analyzing it on a particular campus; tested responses; and measures for assessing response effectiveness. With this information, police and public safety officers can more effectively prevent the problem. This guide is part of the Problem-Specific Guides… (read more)

Alcohol-related riots among university students pose a significant problem for police agencies that serve college communities. The intensity of the disturbances may vary. However, the possible outcomes include property destruction and physical violence—a serious threat to community and officer safety. This guide provides a framework for understanding student gatherings. You can use this framework… (read more)

Drug-impaired driving demands police, legislative, and community attention because of the harms it may cause. Many of the problems associated with drug-impaired driving are similar to those associated with drunk driving. However, recent evidence suggests that the prevalence of drug-impaired driving may be equal to, or perhaps higher than, that of drunk driving. This guide begins by describing the… (read more)

This publication is part of a series of reports on emerging issues that are being examined by the Police Executive Research Forum (PERF) with support from the Office of Community Oriented Policing Services (COPS Office). The goal of this project is to examine social media in policing from two tactical points of view: 1) The use of social media by criminal offenders to organize or facilitate… (read more)

A key component of successful policing is building collaborative, trusting relationships between law enforcement and the communities they serve, particularly immigrant and minority communities. Developing these relationships allows law enforcement to more successfully address the challenges of crime control and terrorism prevention. The knowledge and insight that come from trust-based… (read more)

The Building Relationships of Trust Toolkit includes detailed information police officers and community members should consider when trying to build trusting relationships between the two. Components of the toolkit include: moving to implementation, recommended steps for chief executives, an interactive video overview, commonly used terms, community perception survey, and curriculum training… (read more)

This publication provides guidance to federal, state, local, and tribal law enforcement agencies; fusion centers; community members; civic groups; and other interested parties on developing relationships of trust, particularly with minority and immigrant communities. It also expands on the U.S. Department of Justice's Office of Community Oriented Policing Services (COPS Office) publication,… (read more)