Unmanned Aircraft Systems have the potential to support the public safety mission in a cost-effective manner.  Getting a program airborne requires a working knowledge of the many issues that a public safety agency must address prior to actually flying a mission.  This workshop will provide information that public safety agencies need to know so that they can determine if there is a role for this technology to support their specific public safety mission.  This workshop will address UAS issues such as:

• Current and future rules and regulations regarding the use of UAS
• Issues with available spectrum and the differences between federal and civilian agencies use of spectrum
• Federal UAS evaluation programs in order to allow more informed purchase and operational decisions
• Privacy issues and working with the public you serve
• Operational considerations
• Aircraft and their payloads
• Lessons learned from public agencies using UAS

There will be time for questions and answers and the ability to meet face to face with the agencies and individuals who are working the issues involved with the operational use of UAS.  Registration is FREE but is restricted to 300 attendees with 50 seats allocated for academia.

Online Registration for Public Safety

The criteria for public safety registration is: Law enforcement, fire, rescue, emergency management and employees of publicly owned/operated emergency medical service providers. A phone number will be required for employment verification.

Online Registration for Academia

The criteria for academic registration is: Employees of academic institutions actively engaged in research, test and evaluation of unmanned aircraft systems may attend; however, please limit registrations to 2 per institution. A phone number will be required for employment verification.

There will be a media briefing at the conclusion of the workshop on Thursday at 1pm during which several panelists will be available for questions.  Members of the press will be required to obtain a press badge to attend this briefing.  For more information on the eligibility to receive a complimentary press badge, please see the Media Registration page.

The Loews Annapolis Hotel has set aside a limited number of rooms at the government per diem rate of $116/night plus tax.  Reservations can be made by phone or online.  Please identify yourself as part of the NLECTC LE/First Responders UAS when making your reservation through the Loews Reservations Center, 800-526-2593.  If you prefer to book online, please visit the website at www.loewsannapolis.com, select your arrival and departure dates, choose “Group” from the Partner/Group Rates dropdown, and enter your group code, LEF408 in the code field.  When you make your reservations, it is necessary to guarantee the room with a credit card.  Also, please keep in mind that all reservations made within this block must be made prior to May 1, 2013.

If you have questions about the conference, please contact (e-mail is preferred):

Michael K. O’Shea
Law Enforcement Program Manager
U.S. Department of Justice/OJP/NIJ/OST
810 Seventh Street, N.W. 7th Floor
Washington, DC 20531
Office (202) 305-7954
Fax (202) 307-9907
E-Mail: michael.oshea@usdoj.gov

In light of the tragedy in Newtown, Connecticut today, we would like to highlight some of the free resources available to those law enforcement agencies tasked with preparing for and responding to such events.

On our Downloads page, you will find the following material:

“Incident Commander”, released by BreakAway and the Department of Justice in 2007, is a ground-breaking training tool that employs PC game technology to allow first responders to train anytime, anywhere to coordinate a multi-agency response to a natural or manmade disaster.

“ASTRO” (Active Shooter Training for Responding Officers) is a Windows-based simulation tool that allows a law enforcement officer to be immersed in active shooter scenarios. The law enforcement officer must make decisions and act on those decisions to bring an end to the threat.

“School Bus Security – A 21st Century Approach” – watch this video, produced by the Georgia Emergency Management Association, on the basics of school bus security. This DVD can be used by law enforcement in cooperation with school management as safety training.

“Triple Play – School Safety Combo”

This CD-ROM contains:

• A Critical Incident: What to Do in the First 20 Minutes: A 25-minute video produced by the North Carolina Office of the Attorney General and the U.S. Department of Juvenile Justice and Delinquency Prevention’s Center for the Prevention of School Violence.
• School Crime Operations Package (School COP): A software application for entering, analyzing and mapping incidents that occur in and around schools.
• School Critical Incident Planning – Generator (SCIP-G): A tool that provides step-by-step guidance for creating a plan using the most widely accepted law enforcement practices and procedures as the foundation.

“It Can Happen Here” is a documentary video designed to inform and compel audiences of school safety stakeholders to prepare for man-made and natural emergencies.

The special School Safety issue of TechBeat also contains valuable information regarding school safety.

The Rural Domestic Preparedness Consortium also offers a FREE course titled Crisis Management for School Based Incidents: Partnering Rural Law Enforcement and Local School Systems. This eight-hour awareness-level course for school administrators and emergency responders will educate rural law enforcement personnel as well as school administrators and staff to effectively respond to an emergency involving a school building or an entire school system. The training will provide representatives of rural law enforcement departments with a foundation of knowledge and skills that will enable them to progressively establish a school-based emergency response plan and crisis management team through information sharing and training.

ABLE 1 advised Communications that they would be enroute to the call and arrived on scene four minutes later. ABLE 1 began orbiting the area and assisted with directing patrol units to perimeter locations while a Guilford County K9 handler prepared to run a track to attempt to locate the suspect.  Patrol officers were directed to several suspicious vehicles in the area as ABLE 1 continued to monitor the K9 track.

A short time later, the K9 handler advised he was canceling the track and returning to the point of origin.  After the K9 track was canceled, the Tactical Flight Officer inside ABLE 1 observed what appeared to be discarded clothing in a wooded are and directed the K9 handler to that location for investigation.  When the K9 handler arrived to that location, he located the suspect hiding in the wooded area and took him into custody.

For more information on the Law Enforcement Aviation Technology Program, visit www.justnet.org/aviation.

For more information on the 1033 Federal Excess Property program, contact SRTB-RC at 1-866-RURAL-LE or by email at info@srtbrc.org.

Click this link to see an interview with Dr. Phelan Wyrick of CrimeSolutions.gov regarding evidence based programs in criminal justice.

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Link to full article —> Bastrop police receive Humvee, M-16 rifles from feds.

To read the entire report, click here.

Incredibly proud of our brothers in the Blue Knights for their role in getting these cars to their new home and for all the agencies that took a part in making these communities safer through the donation of surplus equipment.

Thank you all for demonstrating what our brotherhood is all about. It’s been fun to be a small part of it.

Link to article

For example: PPD engages potential candidates through social media with video. Candidates can watch a video that highlights what it’s like to work for PPD. These methods are typically untraditional and reach an audience that PPD would normally never have contact with in most settings.

Using social media for recruitment doesn’t change the rest of the hiring process or diminish it in any way. PPD is still very selective, hiring only 3% of all applicants.

Is social media a place for your agency to engage potential employees????

Link to article