State Law Enforcement Research Articles

Особливості регулювання операцій із віртуальними активами щодо діяльності у сфері майнінгу

The article deals with the peculiarities of suspicious transactions in financial markets related to the use of cryptocurrencies, it also studies current issues regarding the classification of virtual assets. The features of countering suspicious transactions in financial markets associated with the use of cryptocurrency are highlighted. Topical issues of taxonomy of virtual assets and risk assessment of service providers' activities in assessing the risk of operations with virtual assets related to their use in legalization operations are investigated. The concepts of regulation of virtual assets are considered. The concept of mining, the problem of the relationship of varieties of mining activity to the classification of certain types of activity, its legalization are defined, and recommendations for the classification of mining activities are given. The relationship between miners, validators and virtual asset providers (VASP) in the event of a cyberattack or in the presence of certain rights to the network has been analyzed, which leads to the classification of this type of activity as risky regarding the use of cryptocurrencies with criminal intent. It is also underlined the need to introduce a risk-based approach to countering money laundering and terrorist financing (AML / CFT) by national state supervisory and law enforcement agencies, enterprises involved in the virtual asset market, preventing threats and developing a legislative framework for regulation the crypto market and interaction on these issues at the international level.

Immigration, Sanctuary Policies, and Public Safety

US Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) detainers—the requests from ICE to a state or local law enforcement agency to hold someone until the person can be taken into immigration custody—have been instrumental in supporting the growing number of deportations from the United States. However, as migrant detentions expanded after 9/11, law enforcement agencies have been increasingly reluctant to comply with ICE's detainers, due to the cost incurred by detention centers when holding immigrants for an extended period and the possible violation of migrants’ civil rights. Such reluctance has earned these law enforcement agencies the label of “sanctuary cities.” ICE has denounced this behavior, arguing that it interferes with the agency's ability to obtain custody of convicted criminals and makes communities less safe. Using data on detainers at the local law enforcement-agency level, we assess ICE's claims. We find that sanctuary policies do not hinder ICE's ability to obtain custody of convicted criminals and question the argument that such policies might make communities less safe. These findings are relevant for migration scholars and policymakers interested in gaining a better understanding of the public-safety implications of sanctuary policies aimed at immigrants in various receiving nations, including Canada, the UK, and the United States.

ВЗАЄМОДІЯ ДЕРЖАВНИХ ПРАВООХОРОННИХ ОРГАНІВ: ПРОБЛЕМА ВИЗНАЧЕННЯ ПОНЯТТЯ

The article analyzes the domestic legislation on the interaction of state law enforcement agencies and scientific papers on research issues. It is stated that the interaction of law enforcement agencies is to conduct joint activities, joint activities, provides a clear organization and implementation of specific management actions. Such interaction is directly provided by the laws, which determine the legal status of each individual law enforcement agency, and the specific conditions and procedure for interaction are regulated by the relevant joint regulations. The need and expediency of law enforcement cooperation is determined by the fact that such bodies have common specific goals and objectives and are authorized to use state coercion, therefore, the integration of their efforts, capacity, capabilities can significantly increase the effectiveness of crime and systematically ensure law and order. The concept of interaction of state law enforcement agencies is defined as purposeful, coordinated and systematized activities in the field of law and order in the state, the essence of which is to select and apply a set of legal, organizational, operational and tactical and other measures (timely detection, disclosure, suppression and prevention offenses, as well as to eliminate the preconditions and causes of illegal behavior), necessary and sufficient to ensure law and order in the state. Relevant joint activities include: the exchange of information on the fight against crime between law enforcement agencies within their competences and powers; study and dissemination of positive experience of interaction of state law enforcement agencies; creation of joint investigative and operational groups to investigate specific offenses; issuance by law enforcement agencies of joint regulations, instructions, recommendations for standardization and thus increase the effectiveness of their interaction, etc.

СУЧАСНІ АСПЕКТИ ТЕОРЕТИКО-ПРАВОВОГО ЗАБЕЗПЕЧЕННЯ РЕАЛІЗАЦІЇ ПРАВООХОРОННОЇ ФУНКЦІЇ ДЕРЖАВИ

Law enforcement function is a complex direction of state policy, through which the protection of human rights, freedoms and interests, ensuring the rule of law, the constitutional order, order and the safe existence of society, its elements. Factors influencing to the development of law enforcement at the present stage are: the modern law enforcement function is devoid of excessive interest in coercion; the functions of providing services, conducting educational work, establishing transparency, accountability and accountability to civil society are becoming increasingly important; the integration of law enforcement into the sphere of information and commercial relations has deepened; the implementation of the law enforcement function on the ground has become more accountable to the local community through decentralization reform; the requirements for the quality of regulatory support of law enforcement infrastructure have changed. The legal support of the state law enforcement function aims to regulate this array of public relations, to give it legitimacy and universality. The theoretical basis of administrative regulation of the law enforcement function of the state can be based on the following theses: synergy of dogmas of public administration, administrative relations and regulatory activities of the state in the field of law enforcement; the impact of legal norms in the field of public administration on the protection of human and civil rights, freedoms and interests; positive obligation of the state to affirm and protect human rights through the relevant activities of law enforcement institutions regulated by regulatory administrative acts, etc. Modern realities require the expansion of law enforcement influence on public relations. Therefore, the law enforcement function can be supplemented by the following components of legal nature: law enforcement service, which is accompanied by the provision of appropriate services to the subjects of appeal; information and telecommunication support and digitalization of order relations; communication, intersubjective interaction, control. Legal uncertainty of the categorical apparatus creates adverse organizational and managerial consequences that affect both the law enforcement system and the implementation of the tasks of law enforcement and security. The absence of a special law in the field of law enforcement is not a significant shortcoming in the way of effective regulation of law enforcement relations, as the scope of the general principles of the state law enforcement function is quite broad in theoretical terms. From the point of view of legal technique, normative design and systematization of law enforcement relations is such a difficult task that it does not justify the purpose of the existence of the law itself or a set of laws. In the most general form, the system of departmental regulatory regulation in the field of law enforcement of the state should be classified into two groups: organizational and managerial (internal) regulatory support; regulatory support of the main areas of law enforcement (external).

Covert investigative (search) activiies on the postal communication network using special technical tools: security issues

In the paper, based on the analysis of operating normative, legal acts and scientific literature the security issues dealing with covert investigative (search) activities using special technical tools on the postal communication network. Currently, the mentioned questions are required in the context of fighting against all types of offences, the amount of which the last years has an increasing tendency. In legislative and department normative legal acts and special literature sufficient attention was paid to the questions of the legislative regulation, organization and application of the special technical tools during realization of covert investigative (search) activities. But problems of pro-viding of safety at imposition of arrest (the article 261 KPK of Ukraine) review and withdrawal of correspondence (the article 262 KPK of Ukraine), that this article is dedicated to, in scientific sources not examined.The scientific novelty of the article is actualization of the problems related to providing of safety during realiza-tion of covert investigative (search) activities using special technical tools on the postal communication network and development of the only approach to creation of mechanism of cooperation between law enforcement authorities and Public Company «UKRPOSHTA», that provide the complex using of organizational measures and special technical tools for realization of covert investigative (search) activities using special technical tools on the postal communication network to identify attachments in postal items that may threaten human life and health, including explosive devices or hazardous substances. Besides, the article contain unmasking signs of postal items indicated explosive devices or hazardous substances forbidden current legislation for forwarding on the postal communication network.Thus, normative legal documents and technical support of unspoken covert investigative (search) activities carried out using special technical tools do not fully meet the modern operational tasks set by the state law enforcement agencies. Therefore, the issue of further development and coordination of legislative and departmental acts, improve-ment and introduction of the latest technologies, modern equipment in search and investigation activities arose.

Law Enforcement Perceptions of Cannabis Legalization Effects on Policing: Challenges of Major Policy Change Implementation at the Street Level

This paper presents qualitative findings associated with the experiences of those tasked with enforcing laws within a novel environment of cannabis legalization. Research partner agencies and participants included local, state, and tribal law enforcement agencies in Washington and bordering areas of Idaho. Semi-structured interviews explored the pre- and post-legalization experiences of 92 police professionals (ranging from first-line officers to agency leadership). Findings suggest that law enforcement authorities in Washington felt insufficiently prepared for cannabis legalization, are now concerned about greater exposure of youth to cannabis as a result of legalization, and broadly believe that cannabis-related impaired driving has increased markedly and poses a major public safety problem for them. These issues, alongside pressing needs in the areas of agency staffing, training, and equipment related directly to dealing with cannabis legalization outcomes, necessitate attention by policymakers to mitigate major operational challenges. These same or similar issues are likely to arise in other states moving toward the commercialization and regulation of cannabis.

Modern Criminal-Legal Problems of the Fight Against Corruption in Russia

The fight against corruption is one of the priorities of the State policy of the Russian Federation. There are reasons to note that it is advisable to analyze the regional details of law enforcement activities to counter corruption-related crimes through the legal and organizational ways of implementing the state's law enforcement function. In the article the main objective is to analyze criminal law issues related to the fight against systemic corruption in Russia. In the early 90s of the twentieth century, the country replaced communist ideology with market ideology. To fulfill the objective of the study, the dialectical method of cognition of social and legal phenomena and concepts is used in their development and interdependence. He concludes that human values and moral principles have changed. There have been discussions about systemic corruption in Russia for decades. Endless conversations about corruption have become a convenient screen not only for incompetent officials. Popular with the people, the "disembarkation" of high-ranking officials creates a semblance of "movement," although no real action is taken.

Transformation of the Image Status of the Penal System in the Context of the Cyclical Political Genesis of Russia

Introduction: being a structural and functional element of the state mechanism (a kind of “state within the state”), the prison system is transforming along with it. Accordingly, the image status of the prison itself and representatives of “prison authorities” and “prison population” is also changing. We bring to the fore the problem of understanding the term “system” in the context of the image status of the social system in general and the penal system in particular. We highlight the formation of semantic images and image statuses on the example of three social institutions (school, army, prison), which are similar in terms of parametric characteristics and functioning and qualitatively different in image status. The article comprehensively examines the bipolar image of the penal system: on the one hand, prison is inextricably linked with human misfortune, an evil that cannot be treated positively; on the other hand, as an instrument of state law enforcement policy, the prison guarantees the inevitability of punishment for a crime, ensuring the execution of punishment, protecting law-abiding citizens, which is a good thing for society and the state. Research materials and methods: the features of formation and functioning of the image status of the Russian penal (“prison”) system are considered in the context of the concept of cyclic political genesis. In accordance with this concept, in relation to the history of the unified Russian state, three cycles should be distinguished (imperial, Soviet, post-Soviet). Within the framework of each, Russia was represented by qualitatively different forms of state government, economic order, social structure, etc. At the same time, in such “different” Russian states, there were different models of prison systems, the formation and functioning of which, as well as the transformation of the image status, was carried out under the influence of state prison policy and under the influence of public consciousness (national mentality). Results: the current state of the Russian penal system can be described as transitional. Along with the legacy of the “Soviet past”, we observe serious changes proceeding from democratization and humanization of the political and legal system of the Russian Federation. Transformation of the image of the penal system is aimed at increasing the level of openness and forming a positive opinion about the functioning of the penitentiary system (the Concept for development until 2030). It is important that in the public consciousness the image of the penal system as a predominantly punitive prison system gradually be replaced by the idea of it as a penitentiary system, which is concerned primarily with “revival of the essence of humanity” in a person through awareness and repentance. As for the image status of employees of the penal system, the state can optimize it first of all by equalizing their official status with that of military personnel and special services employees, who, like representatives of the prison system, serve the Russian state, but are in a privileged position in relation to them. Increasing the prestige of the service in the penal system in the eyes of actual or potential employees implies the rejection of such differentiation.

FINANCIAL MONITORING OF CRYPTOCURRENCY TRANSACTIONS IN THE PUBLIC ADMINISTRATION SYSTEM: FOREIGN EXPERIENCE

The article examines the current international experience of Japan, Spain, Poland, Bulgaria, and the Republic of Belarus in the development of financial monitoring of cryptocurrency transactions. The methodological basis of the research was general scientific methods of cognition: observation, generalization, comparison, deduction, induction, analysis, synthesis. The article summarizes the models for building a financial monitoring system for transactions with cryptocurrencies: the «observation»model; the «risk minimization»model; and the «prohibition» model. The main characteristics of financial monitoring of transactions with cryptocurrency are determined by the following criteria: regulatory document, state body, punishment for committing a crime. Measures from foreign practice to improve the Financial Monitoring System in terms of the use of cryptocurrency for terrorist financing are defined, which can be taken into account by domestic regulators (in particular, identifying customers and beneficiaries for all transactions with cryptocurrency, regardless of its amount; developing mechanisms for information exchange between the State Financial Monitoring Service and law enforcement agencies; stimulating and supporting the work of the state financial monitoring service; strengthening and expanding international cooperation in the field of countering the financing of terrorism). Keywords: financial monitoring, terrorist financing, public administration, cryptocurrencies, digital assets

Historical and Pedagogical Analysis of the Development of the System of Professional Training of the Russian Police Staff (Police): XVIII - XXI Centuries

Introduction. The article examines the results of the study of the problem of professional training of police officers (militia) in the historical and pedagogical aspect.Materials and Methods. The study is based on an analysis of various sources: regulatory legal acts of different years, dissertation research, scientific articles, memoirs of leaders and officers of the police (militia), historical periodicals, monographs. The leading methods were: periodization method, comparative-historical method, logical-historical analysis of sources.Results. The analysis of historical sources made it possible to identify the reasons and conditions that had a qualitative impact on the formation and development of the system of departmental education of the police (militia): political, economic, social, cultural, operational and service. The interdependence of the conditions noted made it possible to determine four historical stages in the formation and development of professional education of the police (militia): the first stage (I quarter of the 18th - I half of the 19th centuries), the second stage (II half of the 19th – the beginning of the 20th centuries), the third stage (the beginning of the 20th – the beginning of the XXI centuries), the fourth stage (2011 – present). Each historical stage is determined by the socio-economic and political conditions for the development of the Ministry of Internal Affairs of Russia as a state law enforcement agency, characterized by certain professional requirements for the personality of a policeman (policeman), and the directions of development of departmental education of the Ministry of Internal Affairs of Russia.Discussion and Conclusions. Based on the historical analysis, it is concluded that the modern development of departmental education of the Ministry of Internal Affairs of Russia has retained the essence of the historical concept of law enforcement training and education.Scientific novelty. The paper presents the results of the historical and pedagogical analysis of the development of the system of departmental law enforcement education, identifies the stages of development of this system, taking into account the requirements put forward for the professional and personal qualities of a police officer in different historical eras; features of vocational training, including in the system of additional vocational education; educational and target tasks implemented in the process of teaching and upbringing. The proposed description of the stages allows us to correlate the historical aspects of the formation of professional training of police officers with the modern goals and objectives of vocational education; the requirements put forward for the professional and personal qualities of the employees of the Ministry of Internal Affairs of Russia, as well as determine the further prospects for the development of this system.Practical significance. The results of the study can be used in the professional training of future bachelors, specialists of the Ministry of Internal Affairs of Russia, in teaching educational disciplines of a pedagogical and legal profile, in the development of methodological materials for advanced training and retraining courses for police personnel, in carrying out activities in extracurricular activities (scientific circles).

The Justice Department's Pattern-or-Practice Police Reform Program, 1994–2017: Goals, Achievements, and Issues

The Department of Justice's pattern-or-practice police reform program has been an unprecedented event in American policing, intervening in local and state law enforcement agencies as never before and requiring a sweeping package of reforms. The program has reached reform settlements with forty agencies, including twenty with judicially enforced consent decrees. Academic research on the program, however, has been fairly modest. Social scientists have largely focused on a few selected issues. There is no study of the full impact of the program on one agency, and there is no comprehensive study of the impact of the program as a whole. Evaluations of individual agencies have been generally favorable, although with backsliding in some agencies. This review argues that the combination of several major goals and the various elements of specific consent decree reforms has created a web of accountability that is unmatched by any previous police reform effort.

The Use of New Technologies in Counteracting Violations of Environmental Legislation

The authors describe the experience of using information and other new technologies in the daily work of state law enforcement, nature protection agencies and other bodies involved in nature protection activities, including automated information systems, technical means of recording information, computer geoinformation systems that make it possible to monitor the condition of nature and nature-anthropogenic objects as part of control-supervision and other activities; they also make it possible to reveal, record and assess the consequences of violations of environmental legislation. The paper presents information on how procuratorial authorities, internal affair’s bodies and customs authorities use information technologies to solve the problems of identifying timber materials as they are transported on the territory of Russia and taken abroad, of controlling the legal origin of timber materials in customs reporting procedures and, in general, how these technologies are used to reduce the latency level of environmental offences. The authors claim that, in order to improve the nature protection law enforcement activities, it is necessary to use information technologies to organize a single accounting and analysis system for administrative offences in the environmental sphere, while taking into account the multi-subject nature of the bodies of administrative jurisdiction in this sphere and the existing difficulties in differentiating between environmental administrative offences and crimes. The authors discuss examples of using biotechnological and bioinformation methods to reveal the violations of environmental legislation and to repair the damage inflicted on the environment. They draw attention to the legislative embodiment of the duty, since 2019, for subjects of industrial environmental control to use new technologies in the form of distance monitoring over objects having a considerable negative impact on the environment. The authors also note a positive influence that the use of new technologies in Russia has on the activation of public environmental control thanks to, among other things, a federal information system of public control in the sphere of environmental protection. They suggest that there is a considerable anti-criminogenic potential in creating, at the regional level, internet-based information resources of environmental character to promote the cooperation between subjects of nature protection activities and improve the level of environmental culture of the Russian people.

Privacy protections and law enforcement use of prescription drug monitoring databases

AbstractPrescription drug monitoring programs (PDMPs) are databases that can be used by healthcare professionals to identify problematic drug‐seeking behavior. Law enforcement officers can also obtain PDMP information, raising significant privacy concerns. In this paper, I use regression analysis to explore the association between state PDMP protections and law enforcement information requests. I find that while requiring law enforcement to meet a specified standard of proof prior to accessing PDMP information is associated with fewer requests, other methods of regulating law enforcement access are not. These findings provide important and novel evidence about law enforcement behavior in response to privacy protections.

უსაფრთხოება კომპანიის მენეჯმენტში

To neutralize the danger associated with business management there is a special security service in the management system of successful companies the structure of which depends on the nature and scale of the business. A medium-sized security service consists of four structural divisions: 1. Security; 2. Operative; 3. Analytical; 4. Technical. In each, depending on the specifics of the activity , up to 1 or 10 employees can be employed. Every business has its general and specific challenges. The main challenge still comes from direct competitors. Rivalry often transcends civilized boundaries and escalates into physical or other confrontation, especially if there is a new "player" in the segment. In the advanced countries of the West, in addition to state security institutions, there are private detective and detective organizations, news agencies, studying scientific and consulting centers, which provide various services on a fee-for-service basis. Coordination of state law enforcement agencies and private security structures is sophisticated. There is created a special body, if necessary and it harmonizes their activities. It would be nice to transfer this practice to Georgian conditions.

Unfair, Deceptive, and Abusive Acts and Practices in the Servicing of Void and Unenforceable ISAs

This memo explores how state law may render many ISA companies’ contracts unenforceable, and how the continued servicing of voided debts may amount to a violation of state and federal law. As the memo discusses, this finding may have far-reaching legal consequences for the growing share of the student loan industry involved in ISA servicing. Because they meet the definition of loans, ISAs must comply with various state and federal consumer protection statutes and regulations. An SBPC investigation reveals that various ISA providers may be violating many of these state laws, including state usury and licensing statutes, and that violations along these lines often render consumer debts void. The SBPC’s analysis indicates that state and federal law enforcement agencies such as the Consumer Financial Protection Bureau already have the capability to hold companies accountable for servicing unenforceable debt.

Security of the 2014 Winter Olympics in Sochi

Given the fact that major sporting events such as the Olympic Games attract attention all over the world, the aspect of their security has become even more important, especially after the terrorist attacks of September 11, 2001. Organizers of this type of mass sports event treat the issue of safety as top priority. The paper examines the empirical data from scientific publications, press releases and formal government documents that pertain to Russia's preparation to properly secure the 2014 Sochi Winter Olympics in terms of security. The aim of this article was to identify the threats to the Winter Olympics in Sochi and to characterize the security system organized by Russia against this background. The conducted research confirmed that the greatest threat in Russia was the high activity of national liberation groups, fighters and terrorists from the Sochi area, which clearly intensified in the period preceding the Olympics. In addition, the security system created by Russia involved many different state bodies, including agencies, police and law enforcement services, and the army. Based on the research, it can be concluded that the security system created in Sochi may be a good example for other countries that will try to organize the Olympic Games in the future.

Criminalistics is not the science of prosecution or defense, but aimed at judicial resolution of criminal cases

The article considers the purpose of criminalistics as an objective science. The author briefly analyzes the definitions of the subject of criminology proposed by scientists in different years. At the same time, the General trend becomes obvious — the monopolization of criminology by law enforcement agencies. With reference to the position of the Patriarch of Russian criminalistics R. S. Belkin, the author expresses his opinion that criminalistics cannot and should not serve only state law enforcement agencies. The results of forensic research can be successfully used in criminal cases by the defense party-lawyers and other representatives of suspects and accused. The article provides examples when abuses by the preliminary investigation bodies with reference to the use of criminalistics provisions led to judicial errors and bringing innocent persons to criminal responsibility. Only in court, when using the evidence presented by the parties to the defense and prosecution, obtained, including through the use of recommendations of forensic science, a criminal case can be fairly resolved.

Who is responsible for interventions against problematic comments? Comparing user attitudes in Germany and the United States

AbstractOnline comment sections on news organizations' social media pages provide a unique forum for exploring attitudes toward platform governance and freedom of expression at the crossroads between people, platforms, and news providers. Amid ample political and policy interest, little empirical evidence exists on user perceptions of platform governance. Through survey studies in Germany (n = 1155) and the United States (n = 1164), we provide a comparative perspective on responsibility attributions toward different regulatory actors who may intervene against problematic user comments: the state (law enforcement), platform operators (Facebook), news organizations, and users themselves. We explore this against the backdrop of different notions of free speech and cultural differences in the two countries. We find that Germans attribute greater responsibility for intervention to the state, Facebook, and news organizations than Americans. They also assume greater self‐responsibility. While support for free speech did not impact responsibility attribution to Facebook, news organizations, or the users themselves, people with greater general support for free speech saw law enforcement as less responsible for intervention. The results provide empirical evidence for an integrated view of various regulatory actors who complement each other in the governance of online discussions.

301 Evaluation of Fatigue and Healthy Lifestyle Practices among New York State Law Enforcement Professionals

Abstract Introduction An important risk factor for drowsy driving is shift work, and law enforcement, an occupation known for its atypical work schedules, is a highly vulnerable occupation. A connection between fatigue and unintentional injuries among police officers has been observed (Vila, 2006), but data supporting the connection is limited. Understanding how sleep and lifestyle practices impact this population’s driving performance and job safety is critical to officer safety. Methods An online survey was disseminated to New York State law enforcement agencies by the Governor’s Traffic Safety Committee to assess sleep health and lifestyle practices among law enforcement personnel. Statistical analysis included data cleaning, basic and advanced statistical testing. Results 7,366 survey invitations were distributed, 1,171 were returned (15.9% response rate), and after data cleaning, 1,038 surveys were included in the analysis. Respondents reported from various state, county, and local agencies, holding titles from Police Officer to Senior Management. More than 30% of officers reported driving 5 hours or more during their shift, with 12% driving greater than 7 hours. 65% of respondents reported having experienced drowsy driving. Although, 34% reported never having received education about drowsy driving. On work days, only 40% of respondents obtain 7 hours of sleep or more. On days off, 23.6% reported sleeping 6 hours or less. Work, stress, and family responsibilities were reported as having a significant impact on sleep. Almost 87% reported at least one medical issue. Daytime sleepiness (47.4%), fatigue (42.6%), and poor memory (26.8%) were reported daily. Only 23.8% and 29.3% of respondents received education on sleep or heart health, respectively. The majority (81.7%) reported they would consider education in a variety of health-related programs. Conclusion Our findings indicate that poor sleep (60%), high stress (22.7%), and anxiety (16.8%) are a concern amongst officers. Poor cardiovascular health was also noted, based on reports of obesity (34.1%), high blood pressure (23.5%), and high cholesterol (22.4%). This research supports the need for prioritizing health education programs within law enforcement agencies. Support (if any) Funded by The National Highway Traffic Safety Administration with a grant from The New York State Governor’s Traffic Safety Committee.

Opioid Crisis Response and Resilience: Results and Perspectives from a Multi-Agency Tabletop Exercise at the Pennsylvania Emergency Management Agency

Abstract This article presents and discusses, in the new context of COVID-19, findings from a tabletop exercise on response and resilience in the ongoing opioid crisis in Pennsylvania. The exercise was organized by [identifying information removed] and held at the Pennsylvania Emergency Management Agency (PEMA), in further collaboration with the Governor’s Office of Homeland Security, the Pennsylvania Department of Health, and with the participation of several additional agencies and institutions. It addressed first-responder and whole-community response and resilience to the ongoing opioid crisis. More than 50 experts participated in the one-day program that involved state and local agencies, first-responder organizations, as well as academia in a discussion about effectuating comprehensive response to overdose incidents. Participant experts represented a wide array of backgrounds, including state and local law enforcement agencies; emergency medical technicians; public health and health care professionals; and scholars from the fields of law, security studies, public policy, and public health, among other relevant areas. Participants addressed specific challenges, including resource sharing among responders; capacity-building for long-term recovery; effective integration of non-traditional partners, such as spontaneous volunteers and donors; and public education and outreach to improve prevention. The exercise aimed to strengthen the whole-community approach to emergency response.