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There is no scientific evidence that hot weather causes crime, but experts have found strong correlations between rising temperatures and more frequent violent crime. To keep the public safe, officers must be aware of this relationship and anticipate how resource availability and workload may change in the future.

Ed Murray, the mayor of Seattle, recently declared that 2014 will be a year of training for police officers in the city. Local officials worked with federal agencies to come up with a plan that would address past problems in protocol, and many of the proposed changes are going into effect this year.

When wildfires strike, firefighters are called upon to tame massive blazes, often without the benefit of significant financial support. That could change if a recent proposal from President Barack Obama is approved. The potential budgetary plan would allow the U.S. Forest Service and Department of the Interior to access a FEMA disaster fund for aid when fighting the largest wildfires.

As advancements are made to manufacturing and technology, the strengths and shortcomings of military equipment shift, altering what a soldier is able to do in the field. Recently, the U.S. Army explored ways to change how they acquire, maintain and place stockpiles of equipment to enable a faster and more efficient response.

When law enforcement agents head into an interrogation room, they are tasked with getting to the truth of an investigation. They must do so while protecting themselves and the rights of the individuals they are questioning. Since the early 1900s, federal agencies were banned from using audio records of suspect statements without special approval. More than a century later, however, the U.S. Department of Justice changed that policy, mandating that federal agencies record video of all interrogations of suspects in custody, whenever possible.

Every day, police officers encounter situations that invoke and challenge their training. As they try to adhere to department policies, a changing world tests the validity and effectiveness of those decisions. Critical attention is being paid to high-profile incidents involving use of force. Communities are demanding that law enforcement revisit their training content to find tactics that better address concerns of public safety. While that transition may be difficult, injecting technology at key points in police training and operations can help lower resistance to change. Body cameras are already having an impact on policing, and training simulators offer a safe environment in which to prepare for emerging real-world challenges. As a result, officers may be more willing to shift their routines to meet the needs of their communities without sacrificing their own safety.

The events of Sept. 11, 2001 changed airport security forever. Many of the policies put in place in the aftermath of those terrorist attacks persist today. Agents from the Transportation Security Administration and Federal Aviation Administration, in particular, are tasked with following those directives to ensure safety at airports. However, a series of high-profile incidents-such as a November 2013 shooting of a TSA officer at a Los Angeles airport-raised concerns that airports lack sufficient manpower, training and resources to adequately prepare these personnel for that assignment.

The two bombs that went off near the finish line of the Boston Marathon on April 15, 2013, killing three and injuring more than 260 people, changed the way major outdoor events are held in the U.S. As the 2014 running of the Boston Marathon inches closer, organizers stress new security protocols that will make the race a safer experience for all.

Firefighters and law-enforcement agencies in Riverside County are practicing or discussing new federal guidelines that, in order to save more lives, recommend sending armor-wearing medics into mass-casualty attacks before shooters or bombers are subdued. San Bernardino County sheriff's deputies and Rancho Cucamonga firefighters, meanwhile, are years ahead of the guidelines that the Federal Emergency Management Agency issued in September. The tactic is a departure from the common practice of making firefighters wait in safe areas for the all-clear from police before entering a scene to tend to the wounded. The impetus for change, said San Bernardino County sheriff's Lt. Danielle Boldt, began with the 1999 shootings at Columbine High School in Colorado that killed 13 people.

The Army released its "Training for Full Spectrum Operations" field manual in December 2008. A few short months later, work had already begun on revisions. The increasingly complex battlefield is prompting the service to rethink the way it trains for war. Troops can find themselves conducting offensive operations, defending against an attack or carrying out stability operations - building schools, meeting with local tribal leaders to help improve citizens' conditions - all in the course of one day. "It's not specifically that you conduct offense, you conduct defense, then you conduct stability operations," said Lt. Gen. Thomas Miller, commanding general of the First Army, Fort Gillem, Ga. "The approach is that those are always intermingled together … It's just the dynamic nature of the fight."

Advancements in technology are drastically changing the way public safety agencies carry out their missions. Whether it is employing readiness software to keep better records or using the latest mobile devices to bring critical information to the field, officers must adapt their training and procedures-sometimes radically-to benefit from cutting-edge gadgets.

Police, sheriffs and other law enforcement departments around Minnesota are seeking to shore up their ranks in preparation for a possible large-scale exodus of older, experienced veterans next spring when pension changes could result in a wave of early retirements. Out of about 10,500 peace officers in the state, an estimated 10 percent could be eligible to retire early by May 31, 2014, after which pension reductions will increase for those who retire before they turn 55.

New technology is changing the way law enforcement agencies fight crime. Wearable tech is already being tested in police departments, and the next wave of gadgets could consist of applications that predict crime before it even occurs.

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.

In the aftermath following the terrorist attacks on September 11, 2001, federal agencies and law enforcement drove home the need for increased information sharing and improved performance throughout the intelligence community. The information failures that plagued the system previous to the attacks demonstrated the consequences of division during a crisis. Had well-run fusion centers been available at the start of this century, the deadliest terrorist attack in history would have resulted in a different outcome.