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Oskar Zepeda has had pretty much one mission in his life: kill or capture. After serving nine tours of duty in Iraq and Afghanistan, he now has a new target - child predators. Zepeda, 29, is part of a 17-member class of veterans trained in computer forensics and sent to Immigration and Customs Enforcement field offices. They aren't paid, and there's no guarantee they'll have a full-time job when their one-year stint ends. But the interns are finding the purpose of their new mission outweighs financial considerations.

New York State is offering a unique training program for law enforcement today in Utica, aimed at giving agencies resources and information to better address critical incidents, such as the death of one of their own in the line of duty or as a result of suicide. The state Division of Criminal Justice Services (DCJS) developed the TRAUMA (Trauma Resources and Unified Management Assistance) program as part of its mission to offer trainings for law enforcement agencies and officers so they can better serve their communities. DCJS Executive Deputy Commissioner Michael C. Green said: "As a former prosecutor, I have seen first-hand the toll that a line-of-duty death or devastating injury can have on a department. Men and women on the front lines of this state's fight against crime may be reluctant to share their grief or on-the-job experiences with co-workers, family, and friends, which can lead to extreme stress. The aim of this training is to provide a line of defense for those officers to help themselves, each other and their families."

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.

he International Association of Directors of Law Enforcement Standards Training (IADLEST) 2015 Conference wrapped up June 3 with over 500 attendees, sponsors and exhibitors converging on San Antonio, Texas. The conference offered presentations in IADLEST mission-critical areas such as law enforcement standards and training, executive level skills, training best practices, and technology innovation.

Canines play an important role in emergency response by assisting with search-and-rescue operations. Dogs employ superior senses to track down victims and reach locations that may be inaccessible for humans. Veterinary Partner noted that rescue teams need more trained dogs-and-handler pairs to share duties during emergencies and improve victims' chances for survival. Before they can be sent into the field, dogs must undergo standard search-and-rescue training. According to the National Association for Search & Rescue, it typically takes about one year of training for dogs to be ready to complete missions with their handlers. That shared experience can pave the way for both parties to quickly adopt new methods and equipment.

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."

Whether you are a sworn law enforcement officer, EMS professional, corrections officer, or firefighter, being an effective public safety professional requires strong relationships with the public, the media, and each other. As high-profile incidents often bring to light, building and fostering these relationships is a challenge that requires constant attention by even the most congenial professionals. Thankfully, a body of psychological research around intergroup biases can explain not only why this tension between first responders, the public, and the media occurs, but how it can be overcome.