Mass Violence Advisory Initiative

Mass violence incidents present significant and unique challenges for law enforcement due to the sheer number of victims, investigative considerations, media involvement, and long-term effect on the responding agencies and community. The needs of first responders and victims extend beyond headlines and must include support for processing the impact of the trauma and initiating the healing process. While safety and investigative considerations are critical, equally important is addressing the myriad of needs that will forever affect the agencies and community. Law enforcement leaders faced with a mass violence incident will benefit from the guidance of professionals with first-hand experience navigating these types of tragedies.

The IACP, in consultation with BJA, launched the Mass Violence Advisory Initiative (MVAI) in September 2021 to address these challenges. Under the BJA FY 23 National Initiatives: Law Enforcement Training and Technical Assistance Solicitation, IACP will build upon this foundation providing peer-to-peer advisory assistance to jurisdictions experiencing extraordinary acts of violence to maximize the safety and wellness of officers, other first responders, and the community.

IACP is well-suited and prepared to enhance the services and resources the MVAI offers. Specifically, the IACP will continue recruiting subject matter experts (SMEs) from diverse backgrounds into its Mass Violence Peer-to-Peer Advisory Team of experts with first-hand experience in responding to mass violence incidents; refining its outreach, tracking, and deployment protocols; and applying trauma-informed approaches to all components of the work. The IACP will add to its existing Library of Resources to include the development of a specialized toolkit on mass violence preparation and recovery with input from victims with lived experience. IACP will establish a notification network of law enforcement contacts, public information, and other sources to track incidents of mass violence. Finally, IACP will continue hosting its online Community of Practice and coordinating virtual and in-person meetings and focus groups between law enforcement, SMEs, mayors, city managers, school leaders, and other stakeholders on the topic of mass violence to facilitate information-sharing, cross-agency collaboration, and resource and protocol development and refinement.

Through this work, IACP and BJA will continue collaborating with the MVAI Council, comprised of members from the following organizations: National Mass Violence Victimization Resource Center (NMVVRC); Advanced Law Enforcement Rapid Response Training (ALERRT); Executive Office of United States Attorneys (EOUSA); Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI), and the Office for Victims of Crime (OVC).