Last year, the Houston Police Department did something no department of its size had before: allowed officers to train for and — at their own cost — purchase red dot sights for their service weapons. Following this (and similar changes in the civilian firearms world), will the rest of law enforcement follow suit?
On paper, the difference between a learning management system (LMS) and a training management system (TMS) may seem like simple semantics. In the public safety world, however, significant gaps in functionality between the two make a TMS the clear choice for almost any agency in search of an upgrade. Before risking years of limited training activity, agencies should take a breath and consider exactly what they need from the software they plan to buy – their personnel and the public deserve nothing less.
Before 9/11, the term, “first responder,” was not widely used, if at all. The term came into common usage in the wake of that horrific day in 2001 to describe the thousands of public health and safety personnel — firefighters, police, EMTs, and others — who responded to the scene of the terrorist attacks, particularly the devastation of the World Trade Center’s Twin Towers in New York. While some object to the overuse of the “first responder” term by the media, saying it is more accurate to specify exactly which agencies responded to an incident, the term has continued to be important in addressing the long-term effects of the terrorist attacks on the emergency personnel who were present at Ground Zero.
As most law enforcement personnel are aware, body cameras are a rapidly emerging technology, but with flaws that may be overlooked by the general public. However, inconsistent recording and video retention policies can do more harm to public perception than a lack of cameras altogether.
Fire officers face more problematic legal issues in today’s work environment than ever before. In the absence of appropriate documentation, even the most prepared department will not be able to prove the various ways they invested in the development of appropriate knowledge, skills, and abilities for their team. Should this preparation be called into question, proper documentation gives you the best chance of solid defense in the event of litigation. Gerry Roberts, JD will discuss how the documentation you may be doing to achieve accreditation can also improve your legal defensibility.
Issues of gender and race sit at the core of many concerns facing public safety agencies —particularly recruiting. While agencies wishing to refine their minority- or gender-based recruitment efforts face a challenge, the payoff for a successful effort is more than worth it.
An “elephant in the room” for many well-intentioned departments, racial bias is extremely sensitive as a topic — and extremely serious as a potential threat to an agency’s stability. For departments, newfound awareness is key to avoiding embarrassing or damaging outcomes, and training – combined with enhanced delivery and documentation tools – can help get there.
A worrisome issue regardless of field, the challenges inherent to employee complacency grow even more dire in the corrections industry — a field where even minor oversights can lead to serious injuries and lost lives. Worse, because it is borne from biological processes we rely on every day, there is no failsafe approach to the issue and its associated problems. By instilling a mix of cultural and procedural change, however, facilities can give themselves the best possible chance against the problem manifesting in harmful ways.
The corrections industry’s ever-rising percentage of mentally ill patients is a concern nearly 40 years in the making. Getting a thumb on it is difficult, given the field’s relative lack of control over the intakes—but properly trained staff go a long way towards better responses and better outcomes.
Bloomington, Ind.— Envisage Technologies announced today that it has received a Federal Risk and Authorization Management Program (FedRAMP) Authorization for the Acadis Readiness Suite® (Acadis) cloud system.
