NCCPS Verbal De-Escalation Education Program is LIVE

 

We are happy to announce that our second Virtual Professional Development (VPD) offering, the Verbal De-Escalation Education Program, is now live and registration is open. As with our Physical Security Education Program, participants will receive a certificate of completion following a successful post-test at the end of the course. Participants will have 30 days to complete a course once they have registered and there is no charge to attend. The cost of developing and delivering these programs is covered by a cooperative agreement with Bureau of Justice Assistance, Office of Justice Programs, U.S. Department of Justice.

 

The ability to verbally de-escalate tense situations is an essential skill for security professionals, and the skills apply to anyone who works in the public sphere. Through resolving situations using only words, it prevents physical altercations and potential harm for all sides involved. The skills to verbally de-escalate a situation may not be innate, and as such, participants need opportunities to practice them before applying them in a live situation.

 

This five-module course includes:

The Verbal De-Escalation Education Program was designed in conjunction with subject-matter expert Mourning Fox, MA, LCMHC, the deputy commissioner for the  Vermont Department of Mental Health. This online course was developed for those working at the beginner through advanced level in a campus environment, including campus public safety, security, and law enforcement officers; residential life and student affairs staff; designated campus security authorities; office/reception personnel; financial aid employees; human resources personnel; campus counseling and mental health workers; and others who have a role that involves managing difficult situations and behaviors.

 

For more information or questions, please contact Program and Training Manager,  Andrea Young.

Emerging Issues in Law Enforcement and Strategies to Address Them

 

A historical artifact of military or paramilitary organizations, the phrase "rank and file" has come to identify non-command staff in law enforcement and calls to mind officers' place in a department and the precision and order they bring to their everyday duties. In August 2017, 40 rank and file officers, deputies, and troopers, nominated by the heads of their departments as some of our nation's front-line leaders, participated in a roundtable discussion to consider their roles in implementing their departments' community policing policies and operations. Participants came from departments across the country and explored a wide range of issues from the viewpoint of those who do the daily work, in order to share strategies and debate ideas for reducing crime. The resulting report, Rank and File: Reflections on Emerging Issues in Law Enforcement, released in December 2018, captures the experiences, opinions, and ideas of the participating officers and offers a glimpse into the daily activities of a unique and demanding profession.

 

Principal Deputy Director Russ Washington, Acting Director of the Office of Community Oriented Policing Services (COPS Office) during the roundtable discussion, challenged the participants to engage in open and honest conversation to change "how officers, management, and communities work together to improve officer morale, safety, and wellness; reduce violent crime; and deal with emerging issues such as the growing opioid epidemic." He expressed his hope that "the discussion [would] assess the state of policing from the viewpoint of those who work on the ground." To this end, the forum focused on the following areas:

Overwhelmingly, participants felt that while the profession is experiencing major growing pains and must undergo systemic changes, there was also excitement about the potential for the future of policing. Officers agreed that establishing trust and building relationships between communities and police must be at the forefront of the community policing mission across the nation.

 

The COPS Office brings together experts from a variety of disciplines to work together on leading challenges confronting the law enforcement field. Their forums strive to identify root causes, develop solutions and initiate the partnerships needed to address the topic successfully. The COPS Office has one more forum scheduled for 2019 on a topic to be determined and you can view a list of forums held and available reports on the SAI website.

 

For additional resources on officer safety, visit the Law Enforcement Officer Near Miss webpage to learn about this voluntary initiative that allows law enforcement personnel to read about and anonymously share their near-miss stories and the lessons learned from them to prevent fellow officers from being injured or killed.

Register for our February Webinar

 

We are pleased to present Unmanned Aircraft Systems on Campus, part of our Campus Public Safety Online free webinar series, on Tuesday, February 19th at 2 PM ET. Our guest presenter is Jarlath O'Neil-Dunne, director of the University of Vermont's (UVM) Spatial Analysis Laboratory and founder of the UVM Unmanned Aircraft Systems (UAS) Team. This webinar will cover a variety of UAS topics including how to build a UAS program on campus.

 

Unmanned Aircraft Systems (UAS or drones) are a revolutionary technology that is making it easier than ever to collect information from above the Earth's surface. For colleges and universities, UAS technology is offering exciting new opportunities for carrying out research, inspecting campus infrastructure, and improving safety on campus. UAS also pose a number of challenges, particularly on issues relating to federal regulations, privacy, and responsible use. Jarlath will provide participants with a comprehensive understanding of UAS technology, from the operating platforms, sensors, and back-end analytics to the regulatory environment and campus policies. He will also discuss how UAS are used in action from disaster response and public safety efforts to traffic monitoring, infrastructure, and environmental research.

 

In 2012, Jarlath established UVM's Unmanned Aircraft Systems (UAS) Team, which has flown over 1,000 missions for activities ranging from disaster response to campus infrastructure assessment to agricultural research. At UVM, he was part of the group that helped develop the campus UAS policies. He advises all levels of government, the private sector, and academic institutions on UAS technology. As a member of AmericaView, a nationwide remote sensing consortium, he has collaborated with colleagues at over 30 colleges and universities on the challenges of implementing UAS technology.

 

This webinar is appropriate for those working in senior campus administration, campus safety and security, emergency management, law enforcement, threat assessment, residential life, student conduct & affairs, legal counsel, or any other personnel working to establish policies and procedures for UAS technology on campus.

 

For more information and to register, please visit our website.

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