The Bureau of Justice Assistance announced its Police-Mental health Collaboration (PMHC) Toolkit. Best practices and resources to help officers respond appropriately and safety to people with mental illness are included, in addition to step-by-step guidance to implement collaborative programs in the community. Visit the PMHC Toolkit Website today!
The Bureau of Justice Assistance National Training and Technical Assistance Center (NTTAC) recently hosted the BJA Smart Suite Summit: Transforming Criminal Justice through Research and Innovation in September 2016. Workshops highlighted several areas including developing researcher-practitioner partnerships, use of prescription drug monitoring program data, policy reform, and more. A number of the presentation documents are now online via the Smart Suite website.
Read more on Transforming Criminal Justice through Research and Innovation
The White House Task Force to Protect Students From Sexual Assault was established in January 2014. One of its primary goals was to provide institutions of higher education with tools they can use to more effectively respond to and prevent rape and sexual assault. One such tool is a climate survey designed to help schools understand the magnitude and nature of sexual victimization experienced by students. The Task Force specifically encouraged all schools to conduct a climate survey and included a draft survey in its toolkit. A pilot survey was developed and implemented and the results included surveys completed by more than 23,000 undergraduate students.
In 2012, Missouri established an "earned compliance credits" policy that allows individuals to shorten their time on probation or parole by 30 days for every full calendar month that they comply with the conditions of their sentences. Credits are available only to those who were convicted of lower-level felonies and have been under community supervision for at least two years. The Pew Charitable Trusts evaluated the policy and found that in the first three years, more than 36,000 probationers and parolees reduced their supervision terms by an average of 14 months, but what impact did it have on public safety? To find out the impact, read the full report here.
This edition of ILETSBEI news features the wrap up of the State of American Policing pillars. The newsletter also includes articles on the new sexual assault laws, which hope to increase sexual assault prosecutions; Cybersecurity Awareness Month and Domestic Violence Awareness Month; and resources for law enforcement officers on working with victims with disabilities. Additionally, the Corrections Center article discusses a new publication about incarceration and whether it is the best way to keep communities safe.
Furthermore, upcoming event information for the 2016 calendar year including numerous School and Campus Safety courses, Preventing and Responding to Homegrown Violent Extremism, and a farewell to Brock Merritt from the Executive Institute staff are included in this edition.
In addition to the bi-monthly newsletter, ILETSBEI would like to announce the launch of our Center for Homeland Security Newsletter (CHS). The newsletter is guided by the mission, vision, and core values of the ILETSB Executive Institute and its activities. The CHS newsletter will also be bi-monthly and will highlight topics relevant to the Homeland Security field. Please visit our Center for Homeland Security Leadership to download the latest newsletter.
If you would like to submit an article for the newsletter or the CHS newsletter, forward information to Research Associate, Rebecca Hickey (rl-hickey@wiu.edu), or call ILETSB Executive Institute at 309-298-2646 for more information.
The Illinois Law Enforcement Training and Standards Board (ILETSB) Executive Institute announces The Leadership Fellow: A Visiting Fellow Program that allows law enforcement leaders to immerse themselves in a collaborative environment of training development, technical assistance, and research.
The ILETSB Executive Institute Leadership Fellow program creates a collaborative working relationship among the Fellow, the Executive Institute, the home agency, and other criminal justice professionals throughout the state of Illinois. The Fellow will gain a broader understanding and knowledge of training and standards at the state level while gaining valuable leadership tools and guidance to take back to his or her home agency.
The duration of the fellowship is approximately three to six months depending on the goals of the Fellow and the projects determined within the fellowship plan. The timeframe will be agreed upon by the Executive Institute and the home agency and may be flexible based on the magnitude of projects and potential goals.
To learn more about The Leadership Fellow, click here for a brochure with more details and the application process. Please contact Dr. Joanne Kurt-Hilditch via email at j-kurt-hilditch@wiu.edu for further information.
The Illinois School and Campus Safety program provides awareness and preparedness training to enhance organizational capacity to plan for, respond to, and recover from an emergency or disaster.
Through communication and collaboration with all stakeholders, schools and campuses have the opportunity to be better prepared in the event of a disaster. Keeping our schools and campuses safe requires communication and collaboration on the part of administrators; faculty and staff; first responders including police, fire, and EMS; and many other entities. Coordinating your safety plan with the help of all stakeholders lays the groundwork for organized response.
Click here for a complete list of training courses available at no cost.
This issue of School & Campus Safety News features the article "Protecting Schools From Radon and Unused Radioactive Materials." The article highlights two programs through the Illinois Emergency Management Agency (IEMA), one that helps schools test for radon and one where IEMA will remove unused/unwanted radioactive materials from schools. In addition to the article, we have also included links to Environmental Protection Agency information on radon in schools and radioactive materials in science classrooms.
"Earthquake Preparedness" discusses the informational materials found on both the IEMA and Ready Illinois websites, including steps to take before, during, and after an earthquake. The article also highlights a downloadable, interactive video game called "The Day The Earth Shook" and a "School Hazard Hunt" that teaches participants to look for and mitigate hazards throughout school buildings.
This issue also features articles on two reports, A Comprehensive Report on School Safety Technology and the National Higher Education Emergency Management Program Needs Assessment; information on upcoming K-12 and Higher Education safety courses; and a list of upcoming conferences.
We hope you enjoy this issue of School & Campus Safety News and we look forward to providing pertinent safety information in the future.
The 2017 Women in Criminal Justice Conference will be held April 5-6, 2017 at the Bloomington-Normal Marriott Hotel and Conference Center. The theme this year is "Building Your Toolkit."
The ILETSB Executive Institute is pleased to announce our Keynote Speakers:
Online registration is now open. Please click on the Conference flyer below for more details and to register.
