Law enforcement

Buy-in from law enforcement agencies – prompted by a determined US Attorney and a new mayor – begets local-federal partnerships, which beget information-sharing and trust. Boosted by state-of-the-art intelligence and targeted federal prosecution, better policing results, and the worst offenders come off the streets. More barriers come down as nontraditional partners – the housing authority, probation and parole, youth services – work together to preempt...

After reports of violent crime hit an 11-year high in 2017, Memphis has seen an 8.1% decrease in violent crime through the first six months of 2018.

The Raines Station precinct in Memphis, Tennessee, is home to the city's biggest tourist attraction – Graceland, famed residence of Elvis Presley. In the center of Raines Station, Graceland attracts tourists from around the world who want to...

When Cuyahoga County, Ohio, embarked on the testing of nearly 7,000 backlogged sexual assault kits (SAKs) in early 2013, metaphors from Greek and Roman mythology abounded in the Cleveland media coverage – 'Herculean task' and 'Pandora's box' chief among them.

Five years on, now that the backlog has been largely cleared, the sense of dread associated with those words has been replaced by one of...

The Sexual Assault Kit Initiative (SAKI), an innovative program of the Department of Justice's Bureau of Justice Assistance (BJA) which is helping law enforcement agencies nationwide test rape kits and close cold case sexual assaults and homicides, is one of the critical investigative tools that led authorities to believe Samuel Little may be the worst serial killer in American history, by enabling police across...

The VALOR Officer Safety and Wellness Program, a training initiative of the Department of Justice, Bureau of Justice Assistance (BJA), has demonstrated its unwavering support for law enforcement by providing training to over 50,000 officers nationwide. To date, the VALOR Program has delivered training to 51,155 law enforcement officers across all 50 states in more than 540 onsite training events.

In addition, the VALOR Program...

Gang violence has troubled the city for decades, but Compton has seen a substantial drop in gang-related crimes in recent years.

The city of Compton, California has long been synonymous with gangs and violent crime.

In the 1970s, Compton witnessed the rise of the notoriously violent Bloods and Crips gangs, who ran nationwide narcotics operations from the city. “Straight Outta Compton” entered the American...

More than 6,000 law enforcement agencies and 51,000 officers across all 50 states have participated in VALOR programming since 2010.

At an October homecoming parade in Jackson, Tennessee, Police Investigator Kelly Schrotberger took notice of a 15-year-old boy in the crowd. After watching him for some time, Schrotberger and a colleague came to believe the boy was acting in a manner that signaled he may...

In just 4 years, SAKI has already identified more than 200,000 unsubmitted kits across 54 jurisdictions in 35 states

One untested sexual assault kit can have ramifications far beyond the case for which it was originally collected.

Sexual assault offenders are often serial offenders, either committing multiple sexual assaults or other violent crimes. Testing a sexual assault kit where the perpetrator is known could provide...