Law Enforcement Training Research Articles

IMPLEMENTASI PROGRAM COOPERATION SECURITY INITIATIVE SEBAGAI UPAYA AS DAN NIGERIA DALAM MENEKAN DISTRIBUSI NARKOBA NIGERIA MENUJU AS TAHUN 2009-2013

The study aims to illustrate the cooperation undertaken by the Governments of the United States and Nigeria in the war against drugs through a non-military solution that focuses on non-military efforts. Non-military efforts have been taken by the U.S. by coordinating together until the establishment of a program applied in accordance with some scope of cooperation applied in non-military efforts applied in the case of drug trafficking in Nigeria is the establishment of the Cooperation Security Initiative program which formed and implemented several programs in the form of Fund assistance and technical assistance, Narcotics and Controlled Substances Strategy (NCS), Nigerian Epidemiological Network on Drug Use (NENDU), Police Initiative and AIRCOP, Maritime and Airport Security Assistance, joint Security coordination through Detection, Monitoring and Interdiction Operations, License Plate Rider and law enforcement training. The Program started to apply the U.S. and Nigeria in 2009- 2013. The Cooperation security Initiative Program ended in 2013 due to a decrease in drug smuggling from Nigeria to the US and agreed to an extradition treaty in the Drug Trafficking Act of 2013. Keywords: Transnational Crime, Drug Trafficking, Bilateral Cooperation, Cooperation Security Initiative DOI : https://doi.org/10.33005/jgp.v7i01.1815

Illinois law aims to help first responders' mental health

In less than a year, six Chicago police officers have died by suicide. A new Illinois law aims to prevent more from happening, 13 WREX.com reported Jan. 2. House Bill 2767 focuses on training. The curriculum of police training schools must include information on recognizing signs and symptoms of work‐related stress. It will also have to include issues that may lead to suicide and solutions for intervention with peer support services. In‐service training for officers, which is required to be completed every three years, must also include information on officer wellness. The Illinois Law Enforcement Training and Standards Board will have to develop or approve a course on wellness and suicide prevention that includes stress management techniques and intervention, among other topics related to mental health. The Rockford Police Department has put programs in place, like providing counseling through a chaplain division. It also created the Peer Support Program, which offers assistance and support resources to employees when personal or professional problems negatively affect their work performance, family unit or self. The law took effect on Jan. 1.

A Nemzeti Közszolgálati Egyetem Rendészettudományi Kar alapkiképzés intenzív szakaszának teljesítésével kapcsolatos hallgatói véleményének összegző vizsgálata 2012-2019 között

A Nemzeti Közszolgálati Egyetem Rendészettudományi Kara minden évben levezeti a rendészeti alapképzésbe felvételt nyert hallgatók rendészeti alapkiképzését és augusztus hónapban megkezdi annak intenzív szakaszát. Ez az alapkiképzés meghatározó a hallgatók életében, ezért a kar és az egyetem vezetése folyamatosan figyelemmel kíséri annak eredményességét. Jelen tanulmány a 2013 és 2019 közötti időszak adatait dolgozza fel. Ezen időszakban minden hallgató ugyanazt a kérdőívet töltötte ki, ez által biztosítható volt a beérkezett válaszok összehasonlíthatósága, elemezhetősége. Az összesített eredmények azt bizonyítják, hogy a rendészeti alapkiképzés intenzív szakaszában közreműködő hallgatói és oktatói kiképzők – a hallgatók által megítélt – teljesítménye évről évre javul, a részt vevő hallgatói állomány összesített megelégedettsége pedig javuló tendenciát mutat. A tanulmányban az adatok bemutatását és rövid elemzését követően az összefoglaló részben javaslatokat, ajánlásokat fogalmaztam meg, amelyek figyelembevétele elengedhetetlen az elkövetkező alapkiképzések megtervezése és az azokra való felkészülés során.

An evaluation of Kentucky’s sexual assault investigator training: results from a randomized three-group experiment

This study evaluated a 40-h statewide sexual assault investigations training program implemented in Kentucky in 2017. The study examined short- and long-term effects of training on police officers’ self-reported rape myth acceptance, knowledge of state laws, and knowledge of trauma-informed practices. Using a randomized design to control for pre-test sensitization, we assigned training courses to three groups: Group A (pre- and post-training assessment), Group B (post-training only assessment), and Group C (pre-training only assessment). Mean scores for rape myth acceptance, knowledge of state laws, and trauma-informed practices were compared using t tests to assess differences between Group A’s pre- and post-test scores, as well as differences between Groups B’s post-test and C’s pre-test scores. OLS models were estimated to assess the effects of training between treatment (Groups A and B) and control (Group C) groups. Follow-up assessments were sent to participants to examine long-term training effects on all outcome variables. Findings indicated that training was effective in reducing rape myth acceptance and increasing knowledge of state laws and knowledge of trauma-informed practices. These effects remained stable over time, evidenced by analyses of data from follow-up assessments. Finally, the pre-test did not have a priming effect on any outcome variables. This study found that sexual assault training can be effective at improving police perceptions of victims, and knowledge of laws and trauma-informed practices for sexual assault investigations. Additionally, this study provided evidence that three-group experimental designs are feasible for evaluating law enforcement training programs.

Improving law enforcement’s response to non-fatal strangulation

Purpose The purpose of this paper is to evaluate a coordinated effort to improve the law enforcement response to non-fatal strangulation in the context of domestic violence. Design/methodology/approach The authors compare law enforcement identification and documentation of strangulation in domestic violence cases before and after the implementation of a strangulation-specific training program in one Central Florida County. Findings The results indicate preliminary support for the effectiveness of training law enforcement, suggesting that the response to strangulation can be improved with comprehensive law enforcement training. Practical implications An improved response by law enforcement may have the potential to increase offender accountability of non-fatal strangulation – a potentially deadly assault. Originality/value The study is the first to evaluate strangulation-specific training efforts of law enforcement. Results point to opportunities that can be taken to improve law enforcement’s response to non-fatal strangulation in domestic violence.

CREATING DEMENTIA-FRIENDLY COMMUNITIES IN CENTRAL FLORIDA IN THE UNITED STATES

The Dementia Care & Cure Initiative in Florida is a statewide movement to advance dementia friendly communities. With 25% of the state over the age of 65, Florida has one of the highest rates of dementia in the nation. The taskforce based in Orlando involves a partnership of representatives from social service agencies, law enforcement, healthcare providers, and research partners, as well as consumers. The task force commissioned a series of five focus groups with 43 consumers. These focus groups produced short and long-term recommendations, identifying such issues as needed training for emergency personnel and law enforcement, improving inter-provider communication, and providing culturally competent programming for a diverse region. The taskforce has been planning with the Mayor’s office and law enforcement to initiate training and support for community engagement, and planning for implementation of these goals. Recommendations from the groups and from the taskforce to community leaders will be discussed.

Are Domestic Incidents Really More Dangerous to Police? Findings from the 2016 National Incident Based Reporting System

It is widely believed among police officers that domestic incidents are among the most dangerous incidents to which they respond. However, most research in this area suffers from the “denominator problem,” where prior studies have focused on incidents resulting in harm to police officers and failed to account for incidents not resulting in harm. Such methodologies can produce drastically misleading results. This paper uses data from the 2016 National Incident Based Reporting System (NIBRS) to overcome the denominator problem. We examine the probability of (1) an officer being assaulted and (2) an officer being injured or killed when responding to a domestic incident compared to a non-domestic incident while controlling for other potentially important variables. Results indicate that officers are significantly more likely to be assaulted or injured when responding to non-domestic incidents. Implications for law enforcement training, victim legitimacy, and future research are discussed.

Improving Expertise in Local Law Enforcement: Utilizing Virtual Environments to Assess Officer Performance and Standardize Training Procedures

Training for non-federal law enforcement agencies is subject to little regulation—training academies and education requirements often vary between departments—resulting in new officers with varying abilities and on-job proficiencies. The role of expertise can be evaluated in law enforcement and assessed to determine best practices for ideal on-job performance, especially in incidents requiring officers to make potentially lethal, rapid critical decisions (e.g., a use-of-force scenario). Training in a virtual environment has successfully been utilized to maximize management decision-making performance and accelerate the training process. A supplementation of cognitive skills training to existing law enforcement training procedures is proposed along with a recommendation on utilizing virtual environments to enhance expert training and develop a safer community environment.

Impaired driving: A case report. Pickup truck centerline crossover collision with medium-size bus on U.S. Highway 83, Concan, Texas, United States

Objective: The objective of this communication is to describe a crash involving an impaired pickup truck driver who crossed the centerline and struck a medium-size bus carrying senior adults restrained with lap-only belts that resulted in 13 fatalities.Methods: Document review of the National Transportation Safety Board investigation was performed. Documents are available at: https://dms.ntsb.gov/pubdms/search/hitlist.cfm?docketID=61581&CFID=2452299&CFTOKEN=9e7f5cd49ac23dc3-47A7BE1A-B81A-1A8F-7B1554A90617B722.Results: Prior to the crash, the erratic movement of the pickup truck being driven by a 20-year-old man was videotaped by witnesses in a following vehicle (https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=jsGsbYTwWbM). The 14.5-min cell phone recording demonstrated the pickup truck swerving repeatedly over the double yellow center line and onto the shoulder. The recording ended before the crash. While rounding a curve in the roadway, the pickup crossed the centerline and struck a medium-size bus with 14 occupants. All but one of the rearmost bus occupants were fatally injured in the collision. The pickup driver survived with serious injuries. Following the crash, toxicology testing found that the pickup truck driver had used marijuana in combination with a prescription benzodiazepine, clonazepam. The bus occupants ranged in age from 64 to 87 years old and all were wearing the available restraints, which included lap–shoulder belts and air bags (both of which deployed) for the driver and front seat passenger. Of the 12 rear passenger seats, 8 were equipped with traveling retractor lap belt assemblies and the 2-person bench seats in the last row on each side of the bus were equipped with manually adjustable lap belt assemblies.Conclusions: The failure of the truck driver to maintain control of his vehicle was due to impairment stemming from his use of marijuana in combination with misuse of a prescribed medication, clonazepam. Following the crash, the pickup driver was sentenced to 55 years in prison. Improved countermeasures including guidance and access to improved roadside testing methods, expanded law enforcement training to detect impaired drivers, enhanced enforcement regarding impairment by combinations of drugs or drugs and alcohol, as well an evaluation and implementation of data-driven strategies are needed to reduce fatalities, injuries, and crashes involving drivers impaired by alcohol and other drugs. The lap belts provided insufficient protection for the passengers seated in the rear of the bus aft of the intrusion zone; standard installation by vehicle manufacturers of lap–shoulder belts on medium-size as well as larger buses (now required) could mitigate the risk of injury in the event of a crash.

Human trafficking – Multinational challenge for forensic science

Human trafficking is one of the fastest growing and profitable types of transnational crime. This form of modern-day slavery encompasses diverse practices of human exploitation such as sex trafficking, forced labor, marriage, begging, child soldiers, and illegal organ transplantation. The consequences of human trafficking affect all countries, are devastating for victims and society while impacting social, economic, and health costs.The project led by the University of North Texas Center for Human Identification (UNTCHI) is assisting Central American countries to identify the missing and address human trafficking by developing model legislation and policy, effective DNA forensic science capabilities and creating database systems. The focus for human identification is on at-risk individuals who are the most vulnerable part of society. This program engages the public and government to establish legislative models for DNA identification of missing persons that protect the privacy of individuals.The State of Texas recently provided support for UNTCHI to develop programs that address the human trafficking problem in Texas. The program will concentrate on training law enforcement agencies, healthcare professionals, students, and the public to recognize the signs of human trafficking and provide avenues of interdiction for victims. Additionally, as part of this effort a standalone humanitarian DNA database, which is established and managed by UNTCHI, has been implemented to enhance identification of missing persons, especially those who have crossed the border or may have been trafficked and died during their journey. As a standalone database, the system is not connected to the State DNA Index System (SDIS) or the National DNA Index System (NDIS) and thus not accessible by law enforcement. With this database, reference DNA profiles can be obtained from Central American countries and Mexico to identify human remains found in Texas while maintaining confidentiality and human rights.This work is an example of an effective means of transferring forensics, technology, and database practices, establishing policy and legislation, engaging the public, and developing strategies for sustainability for high incident countries. Ultimately the approach can promote a multinational exchange of DNA data to identify the missing.

Featured counter trafficking program: The law enforcement first responder protocol

This invited article is one of several comprising part of a special issue of Child Abuse and Neglect focused on child trafficking and health. The purpose of each invited article is to describe a specific program serving trafficking children. Featuring these programs is intended to raise awareness of innovative counter-trafficking strategies emerging worldwide and facilitate collaboration on program development and outcomes research. This article describes the Law Enforcement First Responder Protocol, which trained law enforcement to recognize youth engaged in sex work as survivors of commercial sexual exploitation, rather than as “prostitutes”, and to connect these survivors immediately with social services, advocates, timely medical care and ongoing follow-up.

Evaluation of ‘the R-Model’ crisis intervention de-escalation training for law enforcement

This study presents findings from a process and outcome evaluation of a custom crisis intervention and de-escalation training for law enforcement, delivered in-house to a suburban Minnesota police department (the R-Model: Research, Respond, Refer). Individual officer survey data showed the R-Model significantly decreased stigma and increased self-reported knowledge of mental health resources over baseline. Knowledge of resources held at the 4-month follow-up. One-year follow-up data at the agency level, showed decreases in the number of crisis calls for service and the number of repeat calls to the same addresses, even when compared to crisis call rates at similar police departments. Findings provide preliminary evidence that the R-Model may be an effective model that warrants additional study.

Gaze Control and Training for High-Stress Situations in Law Enforcement: a Systematic Review

In the core review of the current paper, seven studies were analysed to identify the correlation between gaze control, training and anxiety in high-stress law enforcement situations. Additional findings from adjacent studies were included in the final summary after assessing their applicability. The body of research so far indicates that there are significant differences in the way highly trained law enforcement personnel control their gaze compared to non-trained individuals and novices. Experience and domain-specific knowledge improve visual perception skills and overall performance under pressure. Training in reality-based scenarios and quiet eye training seems to have the most beneficial effects on gaze control and decision-making in high-stress situations. For future research, the authors recommend assessing how training and practical experience correlate in law enforcement and whether quiet eye training might provide a shortcut for law enforcement training.

Can Cognitive Training Improve Shoot/Don’t-Shoot Performance? Evidence from Live Fire Exercises

Abstract Police, security, and military personnel have—at most—seconds to make a shoot/don’t-shoot decision despite the life-or-death consequences of their actions. Recent research suggests that shoot/don’t-shoot errors (e.g., commission errors of shooting at nonhostile or unarmed civilians) can be linked to specific cognitive abilities, and these errors could be reduced through targeted cognitive training. However, these studies were conducted with untrained personnel, conducted with simulated weapons, or conducted with untrained personnel using simulated weapons. Before integrating cognitive training into real-world police and military firearm training, there should be evidence that training benefits also apply to trained shooters using live weapons and live ammunition. Here we assessed differences following cognitive training for trained law enforcement officers who performed pretraining and posttraining shooting tasks with live ammunition and their service-issued weapons. Our findings provide further support that targeted cognitive interventions can significantly improve firearm safety and efficacy for armed professionals.

On Smartphone Sensability of Bi-Phasic User Intoxication Levels from Diverse Walk Types in Standardized Field Sobriety Tests.

Intoxicated driving causes 10,000 deaths annually. Smartphone sensing of user gait (walk) to identify intoxicated users in order to prevent drunk driving, have recently emerged. Such systems gather motion sensor (accelerometer and gyroscope) data from the users' smartphone as they walk and classify them using machine or deep learning. Standard Field Sobriety Tests (SFSTs) involve various types of walks designed to cause an intoxicated person to lose their balance. However, SFSTs were designed to make intoxication apparent to a trained law enforcement officer who manually proctors them. No prior work has explored which types of walk yields the most accurate results when assessed autonomously by a smartphone intoxicated gait assessment system. In this paper, we compare how accurately Long Short Term Memory (LSTM), Convolution Neural Network (CNN), Random Forest, Gradient Boosted Machines (GBM) and neural network classifiers are able to detect intoxication levels of drunk subjects who performed normal, walk-and-turn and standing on one foot SFST walks. We also compared the accuracy of intoxication detection on the ascending (increasing intoxication) vs descending (decreasing intoxication) limbs of drinking sessions (bi-phasic). We found smartphone intoxication sensing more accurate on the descending limb of the drinking episode and that intoxication detection on the normal walks of subjects were just as accurate as the SFSTs.

Training Law Enforcement Officers to Identify Reliable Deception Cues With a Serious Digital Game

Extant research indicates that professional law enforcement officers (LEOs) are generally no better than untrained novices at detecting deception. Moreover, traditional training methods are often less effective than no training at all at improving successful detection. Compared to the traditional training, interactive digital games can provide an immersive learning environment for deeper internalization of new information through simulated practices. VERITAS—an interactive digital game—was designed and developed to train LEOs to better detect reliable deception cues when questioning suspects and determining the veracity of their answers. The authors hypothesized that reducing players' reactance would mitigate resistance to training, motivate engagement with materials, and result in greater success at deception detection and knowledge. As hypothesized, LEOs playing VERITAS showed significant improvement in deception detection from the first to the second scenario within the game; and the low-reactance version provided the most effective training. The authors also compared various responses to the game between LEOs and a separate undergraduate student sample. Relative to students, findings show LEOs perceived VERITAS to be significantly more intrinsically motivating, engaging, and appealing as a deception detection activity.

The west side community outreach pilot project: A mental health outreach initiative in urban communities of color

ABSTRACTIn 2017, The Kennedy Forum Illinois partnered with the City of Chicago and community partners to launch the West Side Community Outreach Pilot Project, an initiative designed to bring free mental health trainings to underserved communities on Chicago’s west side. Participants self-selected from one of two broad training categories: an eight-hour Mental Health First Aid (MHFA) training or a shorter Mental Health Awareness (MHA) training. Trainings were enhanced with a Crisis Intervention Team (CIT) awareness component, which aimed to inform the public of the availability of specially trained law enforcement officers. A combined total of 488 training participants consented to evaluation at baseline (MHA n = 316; MHFA n = 172). For those who reported race and ethnicity, 64% (n = 275) identified as African American, while nearly 20% (n = 92) identified their ethnicity as Latinx. Analyses revealed significant within-subjects improvements for each group in reducing mental health stigma and increasing CIT knowledge. MHFA participants also demonstrated significant improvements in mental health knowledge, self-confidence, and decreased perceptions of difficulties providing aid. These findings highlight the initiative’s ability to engage participants from targeted communities and the potential effectiveness of mental health trainings with racially diverse participants.

Associations Among Child Maltreatment, Mental Health, and Police Contact in Adulthood: Findings From a National Canadian Sample

The purpose of this study was to examine associations between three subtypes of childhood maltreatment (physical abuse, sexual abuse, and exposure to intimate partner violence) and two forms of adult police contact (criminality, victimization) using nationally representative Canadian data. Presence of a mental health disorder was also explored as a potential mediating variable in these associations. The weighted sample included 23,846 adult participants from the 2012 Canadian Community Health Survey-Mental Health. Logistic and multinomial regression analyses examined associations among individual and multiple exposures to subtypes of childhood maltreatment with police contact. The Sobel test was used to assess the mediating effect of mental health disorders. Adjusting for sociodemographic variables, results indicated that all maltreatment subtypes were significantly associated with increased odds of both forms of police contact (adjusted odds ratios ranged from 2.06 to 2.95). Presence of a mental health disorder was a partial mediator in the associations between child maltreatment and both forms of adult police contact (adjusted odds ratios ranged from 1.52 to 2.32). In addition, a dose-response relationship was observed for victimization; as the number of subtypes of maltreatment increased, there was an incremental increase in risk of victimization. Future efforts are needed to prioritize child maltreatment prevention, trauma-informed approaches, mental health awareness, and training in law enforcement.

Are the Deadliest Mass Shootings Preventable? An Assessment of Leakage, Information Reported to Law Enforcement, and Firearms Acquisition Prior to Attacks in the United States

This study examined the 15 deadliest public mass shootings in the United States from March 1998 to February 2018 to assess (a) leakage of violent thoughts/intent, (b) leakage of specific interest in mass killing, (c) concerning behaviors reported to law enforcement, (d) concerning interest in homicide reported to law enforcement, and (e) firearms acquisition. We then compared our findings on the deadliest public mass shooters with the Federal Bureau of Investigation’s (FBI) findings on active shooters in general. Overall, the results suggest that most incidents were indeed preventable based on information known about offenders in advance, and that the deadliest mass shooters exhibited more warning signs and were more often reported to law enforcement than other active shooters. Future prevention efforts should aim to educate, encourage, and pressure the public to report warning signs to law enforcement, educate and train law enforcement so that they can more effectively investigate potential threats, and limit firearms access for people who have admitted having homicidal or suicidal thoughts or being interested in committing a mass shooting. These relatively straightforward steps could significantly reduce the prevalence of future attacks.

Assessing the Impact of State Human Trafficking Legislation on Criminal Justice System Outcomes

Since 2003, state legislatures in the United States have been active in passing legislation aimed at combating human trafficking. To date, all states have passed laws that criminalize acts of human trafficking, though with significant variation in the penalty structure and associated legal provisions. This article examines what aspects of state human trafficking laws are most impactful at increasing the arrest and prosecution of human trafficking suspects. Using panel data on state laws and associated enforcement actions from 2003 to 2012, this study confirms that more comprehensive state laws that invest in antitrafficking resources are most strongly associated with human trafficking arrests and prosecutions. States that make legislative provisions for victim assistance, law enforcement training, statutory task forces, and mandatory reporting have higher antitrafficking criminal enforcement. The political environment in which state human trafficking laws are enacted also influences their enforcement.