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On July 22, 2015, the Department of Education issued a Dear Colleague Letter overviewing the final regulations to the Clery Act, released in October 2014. The Violence Against Women Reauthorization Act amended the Jeanne Clery Act to afford additional rights to campus victims of sexual assault, domestic violence, dating violence, and stalking. Institutions should look to the regulations to inform… (read more)

When using technology, both victim advocates and survivors need to consider safety, privacy, and security. This resource provides guidance for programs that provide services to victims of domestic violence, sexual assault, stalking, and trafficking on best practices to help maintain the safety and security of crime victims and their personal information. The toolkit was produced by the National… (read more)

The Center for Education Safety (CES) is an innovative, public-private partnership of the Missouri Department of Public Safety, Missouri Office of Homeland Security, and the Missouri School Boards Association (MSBA). This CES Resource Toolkit is a PDF document with hyperlinks to focus areas and specific web-based resources and information that could help those involved with school safety to be… (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)

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.

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)

The DHS State and Local Law Enforcement Resource Catalog (updated April 2017) highlights DHS resources available to state, local, tribal, and territorial law enforcement. This document summarizes and provides links to training, publications, guidance, alerts, newsletters, programs, and services available to non-Federal law enforcement from across the Department. The Resource Catalog is not… (read more)

Cyber incidents can have serious consequences. The theft of private, financial, or other sensitive data and cyber attacks that damage computer systems are capable of causing lasting harm to anyone engaged in personal or commercial online transactions. Such risks are increasingly faced by businesses, consumers, and all other users of the Internet. A private sector entity that is a victim of a… (read more)

Rumors, misinformation, and false information on social media proliferate before, during, and after disasters and emergencies. While this information cannot be completely eliminated, first responder agencies can use various tactics and strategies to offset bad information. This white paper examines motivations people may have for sharing false information, discusses underlying issues that cause… (read more)

This resource document provides several publications and web resources on a variety of security topics to include targeted attacks, managing threatening situations, creating safe school climates, security assessments, and the Roundtable presentation.

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 is a second edition of a publication known as FEMA 428 that provides the design community and school administrators with the basic principles and techniques to design a school that is safe from potential physical attacks and, at the same time, offers an aesthetically pleasing design that is functional and meets the needs of the students, staff, administration, and general public. This… (read more)

How to respond when an active shooter is in your vicinity.

How to respond when an active shooter is in your vicinity.

An active shooter is an individual who is engaged in killing or attempting to kill people in a confined and populated area; in most cases, active shooters use firearms(s) and there is no pattern or method to their selection of victims. This is a quick reference guide for active shooter incidents.

Bomb threats or suspicious items should always be taken seriously. How quickly and safely you react to a bomb threat could save lives, including your own. What should you do? The guidance and resources on this webpage outline in-depth procedures for either bomb threats or suspicious items and will help you prepare and react appropriately during these events. Resources include a DHS bomb threat… (read more)

The Blue Campaign creates a variety of toolkits for various communities to raise awareness against the heinous crime of human trafficking. Human trafficking is modern-day slavery and involves the use of force, fraud, or coercion to obtain labor or commercial sex. Types of human trafficking include sex trafficking, forced labor, and domestic servitude. This toolkit offers tips and resources to… (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 Personal Emergency Evacuation Planning Checklist is provided as part of the Emergency Evacuation Planning Guide for People with Disabilities. This checklist can be used by building services managers and people with disabilities to design a personalized evacuation plan. To personalize the form, and add the appropriate information specific to… (read more)

NFPA's guide provides information on the five general categories of disabilities (mobility, visual, hearing, speech, and cognitive) and the four elements of evacuation information that occupants need: notification, way finding, use of the way, and assistance. It also includes a checklist that building services managers and people with disabilities can use… (read more)

This article was written by Dewey Cornell, Ph.D. and published in Change magazine in 2010. In 2007, the landscape of campus safety changed abruptly with the Virginia Tech shooting and the subsequent wave of anonymous threats in colleges across the country. It seemed that the school shootings that have plagued K-12 schools were now advancing to colleges and universities. In response to the tragedy… (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 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)

This information sheet summarizes the data available on suicidal thoughts, attempts, and deaths, and describes risk and protective factors that are common among college and university students. Since there are no national databases or registries, and no single study compiling and analyzing suicide deaths, attempts, and/or thoughts among college and university students, the data presented here are… (read more)

This sheet lists survey results and studies relevant to different aspects of campus suicide prevention and mental health promotion. Campus mental health researchers, staff in campus counseling centers or health promotion offices, campus administrators, campus suicide prevention task force members, or other suicide prevention professionals working in college and university settings can use this… (read more)

In 2011, AFSP and SPRC produced After a Suicide: A Toolkit for Schools to assist schools in the aftermath of a suicide in the school community. This second edition includes updated information and new material. This toolkit reflects consensus recommendations developed in consultation with national experts, including school-based administrators and staff, clinicians, researchers, and… (read more)

The American Foundation for Suicide Prevention (AFSP) and the Suicide Prevention Resource Center (SPRC), two of the nation's leading suicide prevention organizations, have collaborated to produce this toolkit to assist schools in the aftermath of a suicide (or other death) in the school community.

SPRC is the nation's only federally supported resource center devoted to advancing the National Strategy for Suicide Prevention. SPRC provides technical assistance, training, and materials to increase the knowledge and expertise of suicide prevention practitioners and other professionals serving people at risk for suicide. SPRC also promotes collaboration among a variety of organizations that… (read more)

The Safer Universities Program aims to reduce excessive drinking and intoxication at off-campus locations near the college, including parties at homes and apartments, as well as at nearby bars and restaurants It achieves this by enhancing enforcement of laws to encourage responsible hosting and service of alcohol in private and commercial settings. This tool kit describes the components of the… (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 30th in PERF's Critical Issues in Policing series, represents the culmination of 18 months of research, fieldwork, and national discussions on police use of force, especially in situations involving persons with mental illness and cases where subjects do not have firearms. The report presents guiding principles that are designed to provide officers with guidance and options, and… (read more)

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)

This is the 28th report in PERF's Critical Issues in Policing series. PERF recently conducted three national conferences to discuss the use of force in American policing. The first conference, Defining Moments," addressed the key issues that came out of the protests and rioting in Ferguson and a report on that meeting was released in February 2015. This report summarizes PERF's second post-… (read more)

In this 17-minute documentary produced by the Clery Center, personal storytelling compels viewers to action. Takeaways include definitions of hazing, examples of hazing practices, and realistic alternatives to hazing that accomplish the goals of team-building and unity.

In this 17-minute documentary produced by the Clery Center, personal storytelling compels viewers to action. Takeaways include definitions of hazing, examples of hazing practices, and realistic alternatives to hazing that accomplish the goals of team-building and unity.

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)

In recent years, we have seen a rise in the creation of mobile apps designed for safety and security. In combination with the technical abilities of smartphones, the creation and demand for safety apps is growing out of security concerns across the nation in the wake of campus shootings and other safety incidents. According to the Pearson Student Mobile Device Survey 2015, conducted by Harris… (read more)

Throughout April and May of 2015, Margolis Healy, with input from the National Center for Campus Public Safety (NCCPS), developed and administered an anonymous, online survey regarding the state of campus safety. This was a re-launch of an annual campus safety survey first conducted in 2010. The survey assessed the current state of campus public safety and confirmed findings from the field and… (read more)

Throughout April and May of 2015, Margolis Healy, with input from the National Center for Campus Public Safety (NCCPS), developed and administered an anonymous, online survey regarding the state of campus safety. This was a re-launch of an annual campus safety survey first conducted in 2010. The survey assessed the current state of campus public safety and confirmed findings from the field and… (read more)

Throughout April and May of 2015, Margolis Healy, with input from the National Center for Campus Public Safety (NCCPS), developed and administered an anonymous, online survey regarding the state of campus safety. This was a re-launch of an annual campus safety survey first conducted in 2010. The survey assessed the current state of campus public safety and confirmed findings from the field and… (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)

The terrorism incidents on 9-11-2001 changed the way we all looked at security planning and management forever. Prior to 9-11 those of us that were tasked with planning and managing sports and special event security primarily planned for traffic, parking, crowd management and an occasional weather related incident. That has all changed and continues to evolve. In this presentation, we'll examine… (read more)

In this inaugural webinar, the National Center for Campus Public Safety welcomed national experts to discuss three essential topics in campus public safety: Thomas R. Tremblay on trauma-informed sexual assault investigation, Dr. Marisa Randazzo on behavioral threat assessment and Steven J. Healy on fair and impartial policing. Director Kim Vansell also provided an update on the NCCPS. As an… (read more)

Kim Dude - Director, Wellness Resource Center, University of Missouri discusses the essentials of managing tailgating. Tailgating at football games is a college tradition. Tailgating can be fun and truly enhance the fan experience. However, all too often high risk drinking during tailgating can result in alcohol poisoning, violence and vandalism. The University of Missouri has taken a proactive… (read more)

In 2014, VOICES completed Preparing for After, a resource kit that documents best practices in preparing for, responding to and recovering from acts of mass violence. The purpose of this eBook is to introduce a long-term recovery perspective into emergency response planning. This publication serves to: underscore the importance of pre-planning to both the short- and long-term outcomes;… (read more)

Dr. David Lisak speaks on the neurobiology of trauma in a webinar hosted by the Arkansas Coalition Against Sexual Assault. Dr. Lisak has worked as a forensic consultant, clinical psychologist, and associate professor at the University of Massachusetts in Boston.