Policy Development

On December 18, 2014 President Obama issued an Executive Order establishing the President’s Task Force of 21st Century Policing. Since that time, the task force has met and discussed what steps can be taken in order to not only reduce crimes, but increase trust between law enforcement agencies and the communities that they serve. Of particular concern to the Task Force, is what it […]

There has been much discussion and requests from police departments on how best to integrate a body worn camera system into their department over the past few months. Most agencies have met some level of initial resistance from their department members, who are concerned with the negative implications of wearing the camera – usually a “big brother is watching concern.” Over the past four

Eric R. Atstupenas, Esq.[1] I. Introduction In a time when our law enforcement officers are responding to an alarming number of incidents involving opiate overdoses, agencies should be prepared to arm their officers with a means to reverse overdoses and save lives. In an effort to dramatically reduce the number of opioid-related deaths nationwide, countless law enforcement agencies have already initiated nasal naloxone programs,

Written By: Chief Thomas Grimaldi, Bristol Police Department, Bristol, CT Every police department, at one time or another has had its low points. Some, more serious and more infamous than others. One only needs to look back into history books to identify police departments clouded by scandals. In 1971 the Knapp Commission uncovered corruption in New York City Police department, later chronicled in the

When you joined the department as a new officer your first taste of supervision was through the Sergeant. Most of us look at the Sergeant and say “that’s a good job.” If your experience is like mine I remember the supervisor saying, “don’t bother me unless someone dies.” That was twenty years ago and, unfortunately as you all have worked toward the rank of

For the purpose of providing guidance to Law Enforcement our firm is dedicated to spotting emerging trends and staying abreast of developing law as advances in the technological world merge with law enforcement practices. Back in 2012, we first started discussing the effect and influence of emerging technology, and the difficulties surrounding the use, search, and seizure of cell phones in the law enforcement

Let’s face it, police officers do not like to be recorded, especially when performing their official duties in the public arena. The fact is that officers are being recorded daily now that the general public carries recording devices in their pockets ready to record at the push of a button. This leads to clear challenges to law enforcement. We first wrote on this subject

There are certain policies that those who advise law enforcement agencies consider to be “high risk policies.” Use of Force and Force Related Policies, Pursuit Policy, Sexual Harassment and the Citizen Complaint Process are just some of them. Typically, a violation of a “high risk” policy could make a law enforcement agency more susceptible to an increased level of liability and a higher damages

It is rare these days to find an individual without a personal cell phone in his possession at any given time during the day or night. Our society has created the ability and psychological need to be in constant contact with the world around us. The introduction of personal cell phones, however, has created many unforeseen issues for a variety of employers. While many