Group items tagged

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.

Several months ago I taught a class on successful strategies and tactics for implementing on-line training and education. The class curriculum required a "status report" on the state of computer based training in public safety. In preparation for the class I conducted a web based survey of public safety trainers and senior staff officers. The reason for this specific group was to better understand and hear from trainers in the classroom and those in budget decision positions.

Several months ago I taught a class on successful strategies and tactics for implementing on-line training and education. The class curriculum required a "status report" on the state of computer based training in public safety. In preparation for the class I conducted a web based survey of public safety trainers and senior staff officers. The reason for this specific group was to better understand and hear from trainers in the classroom and those in budget decision positions.

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.

When first responders arrive on a fire scene, they face the unknown. From outside the structure, it is often difficult to predict the situation inside. Because this uncertainty impacts decisions about where to concentrate resources and how to approach and enter the scene, firefighters must prepare for a host of scenarios that can put them in harm's way. Under these circumstances, having more information can lead to a safer environment for firefighters and increase response efficiency. Technology can help responders become better informed as they approach a fire scene and increase the effectiveness of their initial entry. One way that firefighters now obtain this information is through the use of unmanned aerial vehicles (UAV), or drones. These devices extend the reach of firefighters by flying over a variety of hazardous scenes-including those with limited accessibility or excessive risk to humans-and providing valuable information to the responders below.

The interests of public safety demand that law enforcement training programs should be continuously updated. Over the past few decades, federal and state authorities responded to this demand by passing legislation geared toward improving basic law enforcement training programs. This legislation intended to present officers with realistic challenges they may face and solutions they must employ in the line of duty. Within this real-life frame, individual departments can tailor their own local training strategies to provide the most effective tactics for their specific jurisdictions.

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.