The Threats We Face

As we move into spring there are a number of special programs that focus on drug and alcohol enforcement. It’s vital that all agencies recognize the challenge such crimes present to our country. According to the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA) in 2015 more than 10,000 deaths occurred on our nation’s highways as a result of drug or alcohol intoxication. We need to work together to bring those numbers down. SouthComm Law Enforcement Media asks that each agency and every officer commit to taking some positive action to help reduce deaths on our country’s roads and highways.

In these pages you’ll see some information about cybercrime and the largest cyber threats the world faces. Twenty years ago “cybercrime” was barely a thing but it has grown steadily as a challenge for society and law enforcement. Some estimate that it can cost our country as much as a half trillion dollars per year in financial loss. What does your agency contribute to the fight? Many agencies are too small to have a dedicated cybercrime investigator, much less a team of them. Such small agencies tend to lean on their larger allied agencies for assistance with these investigations. Still, there are things the smaller agencies can do to insure proper collection and security of evidence so the investigators who eventually receive it to perform the investigation aren’t hindered by a lack of proper foundation. The FBI has created the National Cyber-Forensics & Training Alliance to attack cybercrime. There is much to be learned from the experts.

To help with any criminal investigation, new technologies are developed—seemingly each day. Editor Adrienne Zimmer immersed herself in some of these new forensic investigative technologies to learn more about information management systems, Rapid DNA screening, and handheld field testing units for drug enforcement. Does your agency have or use any of these things? If not, why not? If so, are you up to date with the “latest and greatest?”

Also in this issue, veteran officer Dave Douglas discusses methods for making your home safer and how many agencies today offer services or education for homeowners on home security. He speaks to security/surveillance cameras, system choices and more. “Harden the Target” focuses on better home security through comprehensive integration of services and simple structure hardening.

Finally, most officers know that SWAT and crisis/hostage negotiations go hand in hand. In fact, there’s a running joke that “SWAT” actually stands for Sit, Wait And Talk. SWAT officers can spend months in training, weeks in classrooms, hours in planning and then even more hours in position while negotiators spend those hours talking. It is the ultimate in verbal judo as the negotiators steadily lead the bad guys to the conclusion that surrendering is in their best interest. Today’s SWAT officers, however, are different than they were two decades ago. Drawn from the available pool of “Millennials,” today’s SWAT officer might have a different outlook from his ancestors. I wonder, how might have the Millennial outlook impacted crisis negotiations?

Get your coffee. Make sure your radio is turned down. Read, learn, enjoy…and offer some feedback if you’d like.

Above all, stay safe!

Frank Borelli – Editorial Director, SouthComm LE Media