2021 PSP Virtual Violent Crime Summit — Watch Now!

Welcome and Opening Remarks

Ms. Kristie Brackens, PSP Director, Senior Policy Advisor, Bureau of Justice Assistance (BJA)

Ms. Kristen Mahoney, Acting Director, BJA

Acting Deputy Attorney General John P. Carlin, U.S. Department of Justice

Keynote Address—Pandemic, Social Unrest, and Crime in U.S. Cities

The year 2020 was a landmark year that impacted every aspect of daily life. Though it accelerated some positive changes and compelled agencies to deliver creative solutions, its challenges were profound and complex. Jurisdictions across the country, including many PSP sites, experienced rises in violent crime and widespread social unrest.

This session discusses research and findings at the national level on the impacts of 2020 from a criminal justice perspective and suggests strategies for continuing to subdue the pandemic, increasing confidence in the police and justice system, and implementing proven anti-violence strategies to achieve sustainable peace in PSP sites.

Federal Partner Resources

This session highlights the invaluable resources available to PSP sites through each DOJ law enforcement agency (ATF, DEA, the FBI, and USMS). Federal law enforcement leaders share practical examples of results achieved in several PSP sites as a direct result of federal law enforcement agency collaboration and contributions.

Georgetown University Active Bystandership for Law Enforcement (ABLE) Project

The ABLE (Active Bystandership for Law Enforcement) Project aims to prepare officers to successfully intervene to prevent harm and to create a law enforcement culture that supports peer intervention. The ABLE Project builds upon years of academic research and on-the-ground implementation to develop and deliver practical, scenario-based training for police agencies in the strategies and tactics of police peer intervention, and it guides agencies and communities on the concrete measures that must be in place to create and sustain a culture of peer intervention.

Law Enforcement Leaders’ Roundtable

This roundtable discussion will be a moderated session with PSP law enforcement leaders focusing on the issues surrounding recent increases in violent crime nationally and issues pertaining to COVID-19.

Virtual Open House: Preview of the PSP Virtual Academy

Ms. Kristie Brackens, PSP Director, Senior Policy Advisor, Bureau of Justice Assistance (BJA)

Welcome and Opening Remarks

Mr. Silas V. Darden, Deputy Director for Policy, BJA

Supporting Victims, Leveraging Data to Improve Outcomes, and Engaging Communities in Police Strategies

Community involvement and support for law enforcement investigations is critical to successful outcomes. This session outlines the Chattanooga, Tennessee, Police Department’s efforts to pursue a culture of victim- and data-focused policing, resulting in the department’s embrace of intelligence-led policing within a broader trauma-informed environment. This session also discusses the concept of homicide support groups (HSGs) as a method to engage communities in police strategies. HSGs emphasize empathy and support for victims and their families while increasing community trust in and cooperation with law enforcement.

Homicide Clearance Rates and Effective Investigative Practices

Homicide clearance rates can impact community perceptions of the efficacy of law enforcement agencies and the broader criminal justice system in reducing and deterring crime. Homicide clearance rates among law enforcement agencies vary widely, typically for a combination of reasons ranging from case facts to investigative capacities. This session discusses effective investigative practices and highlights strategies from the Tulsa, Oklahoma, and Phoenix, Arizona, Police Departments, two agencies with consistently high homicide clearance rates.

Using Data Analytics to Better Manage Violence Reduction

Data analytics has become a force multiplier for law enforcement agencies and organizations setting criminal justice policy throughout the country. This presentation emphasizes the importance of crime analysis for law enforcement executives, including how data analytics can be used to improve internal understanding of difficult challenges, conducting analyses to support violent crime reduction, and presenting complex stories using data.

Constitutional and Proactive Policing

Community partnerships and public trust are critical in enabling officers to perform the essential functions of policing and achieving a sustained impact on public safety. Without the community’s cooperation, police departments may be unable to solve crimes and obtain convictions. How do departments balance building public trust, strengthening community partnerships, and reinforcing constitutional principles while exercising legitimate police powers? This session provides strategies and practical examples to address these and other important questions about the role of police-community relationships in enhancing public safety.

Expanding Data Analytics and Technology With Real Time Crime Centers

Real Time Crime Centers (RTCCs) act as a force multiplier for law enforcement agencies by leveraging a wide variety of technology and analytics to inform intelligence gathering and decision making. A variety of PSP sites have launched or enhanced RTCCs within their jurisdictions. This session discusses how PSP cities have taken steps to expand and advance RTCC technologies, analyses, and partnerships to further their foundational intelligence and data-driven violence reduction initiatives.

Gun Violence Prevention Strategies

Several communities throughout the United States have established departments or positions within mayors’ offices dedicated to addressing gun violence and helping impacted communities by employing a multidisciplinary strategy. This session explores this innovative approach to combating gun violence as a public health crisis.

Alternative Responses to Behavioral Health Crises

Engaging cross-system partners in co-response models and crime reduction approaches can help law enforcement agencies and communities address factors that often contribute to crime while providing professional and safe responses to individuals in crises. This session highlights alternative responses to behavioral health crises and features models from jurisdictions such as Harris County, Texas.

Artificial Intelligence, Digital Trust, and Data Integration

This session addresses technology considerations surrounding artificial intelligence, digital trust, and data integration. Panelists discuss their experiences with integrating new technologies while fostering transparency with communities to address concerns.

Career Criminal Unit: Federal Collaboration in Kansas City, Missouri

Enhancing collaboration among local, state, and federal partners to strategically leverage resources and share information is a cornerstone of PSP’s mission to address violent crime. This session highlights the Kansas City, Missouri, Police Department’s (KCPD) Career Criminal Unit, a unique local-federal partnership targeting violent offenders. In addition to representatives from the KCPD, this unit comprises representatives from ATF; the FBI; the Independence, Missouri, Police Department; the U.S. Attorney’s Office (USAO)—Western District of Missouri (WDMO); USMS; and U.S. Postal Service Inspectors. Panelists share successes and lessons learned in establishing this partnership to reduce violent crime.