By Leischen Stelter

With more responsibilities than they’ve ever held in the past, it’s now more important than ever for officers to manage their stress levels. Learn how agencies can promote officer safety with regular debriefings and on-going training.

Mitigation efforts are incredibly important for how they can safe lives and property.

Severe weather impacts multiple states, spawns tornadoes and dumps large hail, scientists attribute the Fort McMurray wildfire to climate change impacts, a knife-wielding man causes issues in Taunton, MA, recent fires on the Washington, D.C. Metro prompt a strong statement from the DOT, five Solomon Islands have disappeared, Germany is on alert, the FTC and FCC have concerns over delays in security fixes for mobile devices, and the USAID says long-term planning is the key to ending Ethiopian drought.

Keith Graves has been a police officer for more than 28 years. “It’s imperative that every officer be the best he or she can be, so that citizens walk away with confidence in their government and their police departments,” he says. Learn about Keith’s career and why he thinks education is so important.

By DeAnn Wandler

Public servants are dedicated to a cause greater than their own personal ambition. In honor of Public Service Recognition Week, American Public University System created a blog series to honor the men and women who serve our nation. Read about some of the many public servants within our university family who are dedicated to serving their communities. Take a moment and help us thank our nation’s public servants for their service.

By Keith Graves

Drug use has changed dramatically over the last 30 years. When I first started in law enforcement 26 years ago, people were mostly using meth, cocaine, heroin, marijuana, or PCP. With the growth of the Internet, people are now able to learn about more unusual and strange drugs.

By Keith Graves, Criminal Justice
At some point in your law enforcement career, you choose a path to follow. This path leads you to a type of policing that you enjoy and can hopefully get a special assignment in, so you can pursue this interest. For me, I chose narcotics investigations. Here are five steps to become the best dope cop in your department.

The majority of individuals in the nation’s criminal justice system have substance abuse issues. Suffice it to say, knowledge of drugs and their effects is very important to anyone working in the criminal justice system, especially those working in probation or parole.

To help officers determine if someone is under the influence of drugs, a group of officers in California developed a program called the drug abuse recognition (DAR) course. The DAR program was developed to help identify individuals currently under the influence of drugs, which makes it ideal for use by probation and parole officers, correctional officers, private industry, and school officials. AMU criminal justice student Keith Graves writes about the benefits of this unique program.

Police throughout the country, particularly in Florida, have been noticing a spike in the use of a new drug that users are calling “flakka.” Use of the drug is a concern as well as are the crimes that people under the influence are committing. AMU criminal justice student, Keith Graves, who has taught thousands of officers and businesses about drug investigation, shares information about the signs of intoxication and how police should pursue investigations.