TECHBeat, October 2018

• NCJ Number: 252296
• Date Published: October 2018
• Length: 10 pages
• Grant Number(s): 2014-IJ-CX-K404
• Agencies: NIJ-Sponsored
• Publication Type: Report (Technical Assistance); Report (Grant Sponsored); Newsletter; Instructional Material
• Award: A proposal to operate the National Criminal Justice Technology Resource Center.

Annotation

Feature articles in this issue cover a new active shooter standard for communities, training material that dispels myths about fentanyl exposure for first responders, a report on full-time employees in law enforcement agencies, and the management of jail inmate mental illness; recent news is provided on public safety technology applications.

Abstract

"New Active Shooter Standard Advocates Whole Community Approach" discusses the features of a provisional active shooter standard issued May 1, 2018, by the National Fire Protection Association, which is based on four main principles: unified command, integrated response, planned recovery, and whole community involvement. "Recommendations, Video, Seek to Dispel Myths About Fentanyl Exposure" profiles training materials (written and video) that dispel myths and provide practical safety principles for first responders at risk of being at scenes where the synthetic opioid fentanyl may be present. "Report on Full-Time Employees in Law Enforcement Agencies" presents statistics from 1997 to 2016 on the number of full-time sworn officers in general-purpose U.S. law enforcement agencies, noting trends and comparisons. "Report: Managing Mental Illness in Jails" summarizes a report that examines the management of jail inmates who experience mental illness. The guidance provided comes from a conference in April 2018, in which participants discussed key issues in the care and housing of inmates with mental illness. Conference participants included sheriffs, jail administrators, other correctional and mental health professionals, and community-based health care providers. "Public Safety Technology in the News" profiles a school district's improvement in school safety through a new federal security assessment, a state police program to fight the opioid epidemic, and a school district's addition of 911 radios to all schools.