By James Weber

In recent years, the sovereign citizen movement has become a concern for the law enforcement community. It is predicted that this anti-government movement will continue to grow as the ideology of sovereign citizens spreads across the country. Here are indicators and safety precautions that officers should take when dealing with sovereign citizens.

Learning how to manage stress is critical for corrections officers who work in highly volatile and dangerous environments. High levels of stress can adversely impact an officer’s professional performance and personal life, therefore, it’s important for officers to learn what is causing their stress and healthy strategies to properly manage it.

Intimate partner violence (IPV), also known as domestic violence (DV), is a pattern of abusive behavior by one partner in a relationship over the other partner. This abuse can be physical, sexual, emotional, economic, or psychological in nature. The first step to ending IPV is recognizing signs that abuse may be occurring in a relationship.

For the past five years, forensic scientists have been taking advantage of their ability to collect Touch DNA, small samples of DNA from evidence that has been handled by suspects. However, new research has found that bacteria may be the next generation of forensic evidence used in police investigations. Learn more about key research studies focused on the benefits and feasibility of using bacterial fingerprints as evidence.

Problem-oriented policing (POP) is a policing strategy that involves crime analysis and working with the community to develop effective response strategies to reduce crime. Many law enforcement agencies have adopted the POP concept as a way to reduce crime as well as build and strengthen community relations, but is it effective?

Fire departments across the country are struggling to recruit and retain volunteer firefighters. Small departments in rural areas are especially dependent on volunteer firefighters to serve and protect their communities. Learn how one department in West Virginia has turned to a family-oriented approach in order to recruit and retain volunteer firefighters.

By Matthew Loux

The Wall Street Journal released a report that more than 40 percent of police officers, firefighters, and security officers are obese. Similarly, the FBI conducted a study that found eight-out-of-10 police officers are overweight. Missing from both of these reports are reasons why officers are overweight and obese. Here are some of the unique factors that contribute to weight issues for those in public safety.

One of the most important technological advancements to enhance the capabilities of law enforcement is the use of crime mapping software, which allows agencies to track crimes occurring in a jurisdiction. By plotting what, when, and where crimes are occurring, law enforcement executives can use the resulting visual data to identify crime hotspots and use this information to allocate resources to areas of repeated criminal activity.

The world has watched as horrific terrorist events have unfolded in Paris. These events, and the 17 deaths associated with them, forced law enforcement to take compromised positions against a formidable threat, which could have been reduced with the use of unmanned aerial systems (UAS). Such UAS would provide command staff and officers with instantaneous actionable intelligence, surveillance, and reconnaissance information so resources are properly deployed in the safest manner possible.