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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.

According to estimates from the National Fire Protection Association, there are over 1.1 million firefighters in the U.S. As of 2012, however, professional firefighters comprise the majority in only 15 percent of fire departments across the country. Approximately 70 percent of firefighters are volunteers. Volunteer firefighters are prevalent in the South and the Midwest, especially in rural areas lacking the resources to staff their departments with career firefighters. While these first responders possess skills sufficient to deal with most emergencies, there are instances when the lack of comprehensive firefighter training creates problems.

Envisage Technologies, a Bloomington-based software company, has signed on as an official collaborator with the National Fallen Firefighters Foundation. For each fire and rescue employee who signs up for access to the company's free online training network, FirstForward®, between April 15 and April 30, 2016, Envisage has pledged to donate one dollar to the Foundation. FirstForward is the nation's first Professional Training Network for first responders. It aggregates training programs and resources, making them more readily accessible to first responders across all disciplines. The FirstForward platform includes a private online community in which first responders can share insights, best practices and personal experiences. Envisage donations will be directed to Foundation programs that honor the fallen, assist their survivors, and help prevent future line-of-duty deaths and injuries.

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.

Police dogs are a vital part of many law enforcement agencies. Whether trained to detect explosives or aid in search-and-rescue, these skilled animals contribute to department success. There are instances, however, when dogs are on the wrong side of the law, and first responders must approach or deal with them in the line of duty.

The Internet of Things--a state in the not distant future when hundreds of billions of objects now disconnected from computer networks will routinely transmit data across the web--will require a new privacy paradigm, says the Future of Privacy Forum.

The International Association of Directors of Law Enforcement Standards and Training (IADLEST) in partnership with Envisage Technologies unveiled the National Certification Program (NCP), a broadly supported national training standard for law enforcement continuing education programs. IADLEST is a catalyst for law enforcement innovation. The association focuses on the pressing issues of training and standards and created the NCP with the primary goal of improving training quality for law enforcement officers. The NCP applies rigorous standards on training content ensuring that providers incorporate best practices. IADLEST then enforces these standards for providers wishing to be recognized for excellence in law enforcement training. The NCP will also simplify access to quality training by aggregating certified courses in a national training catalog. Departments will be able to easily search for certified training from providers from around the Nation that have met the quality standard.

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.

Law enforcement training requires a significant investment of resources. The time, money and manpower needed to conduct proper training practices can drain even the largest and most well-funded department. Training compliance is particularly difficult for agencies in smaller communities.

Underage drinking is a widespread problem in the U.S. Its prevalence means that law enforcement agencies across the nation must deal year-round with its repercussions. Revisiting the best ways to prevent and disarm alcohol-influenced incidents involving teenagers will allow officers to improve policing practices that keep the public safe.

Community policing is a widely-adopted model put into practice for nearly 40 years. The concept stemmed from a desire to address community concerns about rising crime rates through increased citizen involvement. To strengthen relationships with their constituents and improve their own reputations, police officers asked for assistance in solving and preventing crimes in the area. Recent advancements in technology are altering the ways in which law enforcement agencies can incorporate community policing into their operations. By providing an easier and more efficient way for people to report crime and share information, social networks like Facebook and Twitter significantly impact how well police connect with people. Software for mobile devices facilitates and eases communication both internal and external to a department. Officers who master these digital tools may increase the effectiveness of community policing in their jurisdictions.

Faced with new threats, first responders put their training to the test in 2014. Law enforcement agencies, disaster workers and even school teachers learned new practices and honed their instincts to better allow them to survive stressful situations while caring for others. As the year comes to an end, we look back on how comprehensive training strategies contributed to effective emergency responses

Law enforcement agencies depend on new technology to help them ensure public safety. One such innovation is virtual firearms training, a practice facility that replaces traditional guns with digital ones. Several agencies across the U.S. are exploring use of virtual firearms training to save costs, increase efficiency and flexibility, and dramatically lower the risks to officers.

Have you ever tried to use your computer with your eyes closed? Even with a screen reader, it's incredibly challenging. The fact is, most computer applications are not designed with disabled users in mind. Trying to navigate the web using a screen reader gave me a new level of appreciation for the amount of effort Envisage Technologies, the company for which I work, has put into improving the overall 508 compliance of the Acadis® Readiness Suite. Section 508 is part of the Rehabilitation Act of 1973, which prohibits discrimination on the basis of disability in programs run by federal agencies, programs that receive federal assistance, in federal employment, and in the employment practices of federal contractors. An amendment to Section 508 requires federal agencies to make electronic and information technology accessible in order to eliminate barriers in information technology and create new opportunities for people with disabilities. The Acadis Readiness Suite is an enterprise software application designed to streamline training management for first responders and other federal, state and local government agencies. While 508 compliance is a requirement for several of our customers, Customs and Border Protection made compliance a priority for this software suite. Their intent was to perform 508 compliance checks on Acadis, and our intent was to be prepared.

No matter the industry, your job requires you to develop a particular mindset in order to perform well. Whether you fabricate metal, perform surgery, or control operations in a large company, your mind must be focused on the task at hand. For law enforcement professionals, the right mindset necessitates some cynicism. Cynicism is an inherent part of police culture. Outside of the first responder and military network, law enforcement officers face situations unlike other professions. Officers constantly assess situations by determining the credibility and potential threat of people they encounter. In a 2012 publication, researchers Juha Kaarianen and Reino Siren noted how this practice can slip into other interactions: "The suspicious, cynical attitude of the police towards citizens is a natural consequence of their constant interactions with dangerous unreliable individuals." The cynical mind begins to diminish trust and drives constant assessment of others. Whether on- or off-duty, constant questions linger in an officer's mind: Can you trust that the person approaching you is going to simply walk by without attempting to harm you? Can you trust that the figure walking down a residential sidewalk is not looking for an easy target to attack or the next home to burglarize? A cynical mind may seem like a negative facet of police life, but the ability to carefully assess situations and react accordingly is a sign of a seasoned and well-trained officer.

Practical skill and medical expertise are fundamental requirements for first responders. Now, emergency experts are realizing the impact cultural competency can have on saving lives in a community. First responders are the cornerstone of the areas they serve. In the event of an emergency, firefighters, EMTs, law enforcement officers and other key players share the duty of not only saving lives, but working directly with local residents to create an overall safer environment. Cultural competency represents the idea that understanding the nuances of the different cultures and the backgrounds that make up a particular population better equips first responders to provide effective care.

According to a Police Magazine survey, nearly 50 percent of police departments use K-9 teams. Due to the nature of their assignments-which can include tracking suspects, detecting narcotics, investigating suspected arson, and assisting in search-and-rescue efforts-these dogs and their handlers go through some of the most rigorous training of any first responders. When one of these specially-trained dogs alerts officers to the presence of contraband or tracks the scent of a suspect, police may be given probable cause to conduct a full search. If that search reveals something incriminating, a defendant may try to suppress the evidence by attacking the grounds for conducting the search. Since the reliability of a K-9 alert contributes directly to whether probable cause exists, these cases often explore the quality of training and training records to depths seldom reached in human-only cases. This body of law provides public safety professionals uniquely clear guidance on what constitutes best training practices for K-9 teams.

"[P]eople still choose comfort over security.  If you don't enforce a password policy, don't expect your users to do it for you." A fairly large instance of the Pony Botnet Controller produced so much data, we thought it would be interesting to look into some statistics regarding this particular attack. ~1,580,000 website login credentials stolen ~320,000 email account credentials stolen  ~41,000 FTP account credentials stolen ~3,000 Remote Desktop credentials stolen ~3,000 Secure Shell account credentials stolen