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Behaviors and reflexes are not changed as easily as the law. In the wake of recent Supreme Court rulings, training coordinators and department heads must be deliberate about implementing policies and providing education to accommodate clarified law. Specifically, the judicial decisions will impact use-of-force procedures, surveillance strategies, and involvement of spouses in the criminal justice process.

On February 13, Supreme Court Justice Antonin Scalia died in his sleep at the age of 79, marking only the second time in more than 60 years that a sitting justice on the Court has died. Appointed by President Ronald Reagan and unanimously confirmed by the Senate in 1986, Scalia's 29-year tenure was the longest of any current Supreme Court judge. Scalia's adherence to originalism-a belief that constitutional interpretation should be based on the original meaning of the text-not only set him apart from his contemporaries but also made him more controversial. Regardless of how history interprets Scalia's three-decade legacy on the bench, immediately more impactful for public safety professionals is the uncertainty left in his wake.