Leadership in Film

A number of courses and seminars use film, movies and television to express leadership concepts. The co-author of Leadership: Texas Hold ‘em Style, Raymond E. Foster, is collecting practitioner, student and academic input on leadership in film. Have you used film, movies or television to teach leadership? Have you viewed something in a leadership course? Or, have you viewed something that expressed a leadership lesson that you would like to share? Share your thoughts on Leadership in Film.

http://www.pokerleadership.com/leadership-in-film/

The Thug

Think about the subculture of which you are a part.
Where and when did it ever get its start?
In our society, like a disease it has spread,
Leaving countless numbers of young people dead.

READ ON
http://www.police-writers.com/thug.html

Public Safety Technology in the News

Study Shows Tasers to be Relatively Harmless
The Post (10/22/07), Alivia Nuzzo

A study examining instances of Taser® use by law enforcement at six agencies supports the use of the electro-muscular discharge units as a less-lethal alternative for law enforcement. Research data for the study, which was funded by the U.S. Department of Justice and conducted by Wake Forest University's School of Medicine, was gathered from criminal suspects' reports regarding use of Tasers®. Of the almost 1,000 subjects, 99.7% had little or no injuries. Death occurred in two instances, but it was later determined that the deaths were unrelated to the use of Tasers®.
www.thepost.ohiou.edu/Articles/News/2007/10/22/21838/

New 911 System Can Trace Cell Calls
Daily News Transcript (10/22/07), Keith Ferguson

The Walpole (Massachusetts) Police Department has taken advantage of Vestas Pallas, a new 911 system that reports cell phone numbers to dispatchers and provides dispatchers with the ability to trace cell phone calls to detailed locations on a computer-generated map. In the past, cell phone call location and phone number information were difficult to acquire. The system takes advantage of the GPS feature that's on most new phones to obtain location and phone number information. However, if the cell phone is older and doesn't have a GPS feature, the system initially will indicate the nearest cell tower and zero in on a more precise location as the call continues.
www.dailynewstranscript.com/homepage/x857473994

Townwide Alert Helps Police Find Missing
nashuatelegraph.com, an edition of "The Telegraph," (Nashua, NH). (10/22/07), Hattie Bernstein

Lt. James Sartell has 10 years on the Hollis, New Hampshire, police force, and has always been concerned about children and elderly citizens going missing, especially in the fall and winter months when temperatures dip down quickly. Recently an elderly man called the department after his wife did not return from an afternoon walk. The department took this opportunity to contact the toll-free national hotline for "A Child is Missing" alert system, which the town subscribes to free of charge, and within a minute the service telephoned 1,000 residents in the area near where the woman had last been seen. Roughly 490 of those calls were answered, and citizens received an automated message regarding the situation. Some of those citizens also volunteered to assist police with the search. These efforts resulted in the missing woman being found in about 2 hours.
www.nashuatelegraph.com/apps/pbcs.dll/article?AID=/20071022/NEWS01/310220058/-1/news

SUU Issues First E-Mail Safety Notice
SUUjournal.com (11/12/07), Josh Smith

The Southern Utah University (SUU) Department of Public Safety recently issued its first-ever campuswide e-mail alert. The alert included a mug shot and information about a gentleman "considered by Public Safety to be a threat" and requested that people alert the department if they saw him on the campus. Previous efforts would have required public safety officials to post signs throughout campus. With this new system, notification is instant and provides the capability to send notifications to everyone on the SUU system. Other future technology projects include electronic locks on exterior doors, digital signage, comprehensive video surveillance, and an emergency siren system.
media.www.suujournal.com/media/storage/paper951/news/2007/11/12/News/Suu-Issues.First.EMail.Safety.Notice-3092965.shtml

Minneapolis Wins Award for New High-Tech Emergency Dispatch System
Government Technology (11/8/07), News Report

Minneapolis' new cutting-edge computer aided dispatch (CAD) system, which will improve how police and fire and rescue units respond to emergency situations, was awarded top technology honors at the 8th annual Tekne Awards. These awards acknowledge organizations and individuals that have a positive impact on the technology-based economy of Minnesota. The award-winning system went into service in March 2007. It provides first responders and 911 dispatchers with new ways to respond faster and smarter to emergency situations by making more detailed information available to them. This new system was paid for using U.S. Department of Homeland Security grant funds, and was developed by TriTech, Inc. of San Diego.
www.govtech.com/gt/174473?topic=117699

Device Will Put Crooks at Cops' Fingertips
WTOP Radio (11/14/07), Hank Silverberg

Technology designed to correctly identify criminals who have given false information regarding their identity will be implemented by Fairfax County, Virginia. The county will be the first in the nation to use a handheld device that will allow police officers to instantaneously identify a person who has been arrested either by using fingerprints or a digital photo. The information captured will be cross-referenced against information contained in a database of criminal records, and in the future this system may connect to a national database of criminal records. Fairfax County is expected to have 50 of the units, which have been paid for using U.S. Department of Homeland Security funding. Several surrounding jurisdictions hope to obtain similar devices as well.
www.wtopnews.com/?nid=600&sid=1291897

Local FBI Rolls Out Online Sharing Network
The Gazette (11/6/07), Alicia Ebaugh

In terms of information sharing between local and State law enforcement Iowa is "far ahead," according to an FBI official, but taking advantage of an FBI site will only serve to make that communication better. On October 6, officers from across Iowa got their first look at the FBI's Law Enforcement Online information sharing network. This network assists all levels of agencies in sharing information nationwide. The FBI's system has been operational since 1995 and the agency is still working to get thousands of local, county, and State agencies involved by providing trainings to organizations nationwide. Law Enforcement Online gives officials a secure, encrypted location in which to put crime information so they can seek out information from other jurisdictions or make information available to other agencies. Access to Law Enforcement Online is granted using an FBI background check process.
www.gazetteonline.com/apps/pbcs.dll/article?AID=/20071106/NEWS/711060036/1006/news

FBI Harnesses Power of "On Demand" From Comcast to Track Criminals, Find Missing Persons, Make Communities Safer
CNNMoney.com (11/1/07), PR Newswire

The Federal Bureau of Investigations (FBI) has found a valuable tool in using the ON DEMAND technology that Comcast uses for cable service. "Police Blotter ON DEMAND" is a community-oriented video on-demand service that was launched in the Philadelphia area last December. Recently a Comcast customer, after seeing the profile of a wanted bank robber, contacted the FBI with a tip that led to an arrest. This service provides law enforcement with another tool to reach out to the public for assistance. The features the service provides, such as pause and rewind, can assist customers in seeing details and making connections that might otherwise be lost. Police Blotter ON DEMAND is regularly updated with video profiles for bank robbers, missing persons, and individuals from the Philadelphia Police Department's most wanted files. The offering is available free of charge to customers on the Comcast system.
money.cnn.com/news/newsfeeds/articles/prnewswire/NEM04312112007-1.htm

The Awful Things I Must See

Patrolling the streets on the west side of town
The radio is busy dispatching a fairly normal sound
My thoughts were on Christmas, only a few weeks away
The gifts I needed to buy before the big day

READ ON
http://www.police-writers.com/fletcher_awful_things.html

LAW ENFORCEMENT

It is not just another profession
On your soul this job leaves an impression
The sights your eyes are forced to see
Can make one for their sanity plea

READ ON
http://www.police-writers.com/poem_law_enforcement.html

THE LIFE OF A COP

The life of a cop is never easy
The life of a cop is an on going job
as he chose this career because
a love for protecting people far
outweighed his fear.

READ ON
http://www.police-writers.com/life_of_a_cop.html

Mental Toughness Training for Law Enforcement

November 23, 2007 (San Dimas, CA) Police-Writers.com is a website that lists over 800 state and local police officers who have written books. Police-Writers.com announced the release of Dr. Laurence Miller’s new book: METTLE: Mental Toughness Training for Law Enforcement.

You've trained your body for the rigors of police work. Now train your mind with: Let a police psychologist teach you:

The scientific principles of effective stress management and crisis intervention.
Strategies for building your psychological body armor and core of resilience.
Exercises for controlling arousal, attention, thought, and imagery to deal with both everyday stresses and life-and-death emergencies.
Safer and more effective ways of handling vehicle stops, premises searches, suspect questioning, and deadly force encounters.
How to survive the psychological aftermath of a critical incident and get stronger.
Use this volume as a personal guide or as a training manual for courses in stress management, crisis intervention, and police officer survival training.

Click here to order today: METTLE: Mental Toughness Training for Law Enforcement:

About the Author
Laurence Miller, PhD (Boca Raton, Florida) is a clinical and forensic psychologist, educator, author, speaker, and management consultant who works extensively with law enforcement, the judicial system, social service agencies, and private corporations. Dr. Miller is the police psychologist for the West Palm Beach Police Department and an instructor at the Police Academy-Criminal Justice Institute at Palm Beach Community College. To find out about consulting services and training opportunities for your agency, contact Dr. Miller at 561-392-8881 or at docmilphd@aol.com.

Police-Writers.com now hosts 805 police officers (representing 363 police departments) and their 1714 law enforcement books in six categories, there are also listings of United States federal law enforcement employees turned authors, international police officers who have written books and civilian police personnel who have written books.

Leadership: Texas Hold em Style

Using poker as analogy for leadership, Captain Andrew Harvey, CPD (ret.), Ed.D. and Lieutenant Raymond E. Foster, LAPD (ret.), MPA found the right mix of practical experience and academic credentials to write a definitive book for leaders. Working together, Harvey and Foster have written Leadership: Texas Hold em Style. Most often leaders find they are given a set of resources people, equipment, funds, experience and a mission. As Foster noted, You are dealt a certain hand. How you play that hand as a leader determines your success

More than a book: A fun and entertaining journey through leadership that includes an interactive website to supplement knowledge gained from the book.
Proven and Tested: Not an academic approach to leadership, but rather a road-tested guide that has been developed through 50-years of author experience.
High Impact: Through the use of perspective, reflection, and knowledge, provides information that turns leadership potential into leadership practice.
Ease of Application: Theory is reinforced with real-life experience, which results in accessible and practical tools leaders can put to use immediately.
High Road Approach: Personal character and ethical beliefs are woven into each leadership approach, so leaders do the right thing for the right reasons.
Uses Game of Poker: Rather than a dry approach that is all fact and no flavor, the game of poker is used as a lens through which to view leadership concepts.

ORDER YOUR COPY TODAY

Strategic Planning Reference and Resource Book

The Strategic Planning Reference and Resource Book was created by the elements of the United States Army and designed to familiarize you and help you through the strategic planning process in a step-by-step approach. It provides an outline for you to plan, organize and conduct your conference, document and execute your plan, and to monitor and adjust your strategic plan, as needed. While we recommend specific steps, we also provide options and alternatives that allow you to tailor your conference and strategic plan to your unique local conditions.

Download the Book
http://www.pokerleadership.com/strategic_planning_reference_resource_book.html

800 Police Officers

November 19, 2007 (San Dimas, CA) Police-Writers.com is a website that lists 801 state and local police officers who have written books. The 800th and 801st police officers listed are two brothers, who are both police officers, who have written a book on crime prevention.

Jim Lambert has been a first responder for over 27 years. He has spent over eight years in the first service as both a firefighter and a paramedic assistant. He began his law enforcement career over 17 years in law enforcement. In addition to working the street, as a police officer, he has worked in custody, as a K9 handler and on the SWAT team. His current assignment with the Contra Costa County Sheriff’s Office (California) is with the Marine Patrol and Air Support Unit.

Mark Lambert is a 13 year veteran of the Pittsburg Police Department (California). He has been a patrol officer, K9 Handler and motor officer. The brothers, Jim Lambert and Mark Lambert are co-authors of CopTalk: Because What You Don't Know Will SHOCK You!

According to the book description, CopTalk: Because What You Don't Know Will SHOCK You, is a crime prevention book. CopTalk includes topics on: making your life and property safer; how to present you case in traffic court; the inner workings of a courtroom; how the average police officer thinks; how a criminal thinks; traffic quotas; and how to “to put the odds back in your favor against crime.”

The 799th police officer added to the website was Rob Pincus. Rob Pincus is currently a deputy sheriff with the San Miguel County Sheriff’s Office (Colorado) where is he is a training officer. He has also worked in the private industry since 2001. In addition to being the Director of Operation for the Valhalla Shooting Club and Training Center he is a staff writer for SWAT Magazine and has contributed to many other publications including Tactical Response, Law & Order and Gun World magazines. Rob Pincus is a life member of the Law Enforcement Alliance of America and is a graduate of The Military College of Vermont. Rob Pincus is the author of Combat Focus Shooting.

According to the book description of Combat Focus Shooting, “Praised by experts and students alike for his practical approach to intuitive shooting techniques, Rob Pincus has brought his program into a skillfully written dialogue featuring sections including: Working with what the body does naturally, Background and Philosophy of Combat Focus Shooting, Combat (or Defensive) Accuracy, Combat Focus Range Drills, The Critical Incident Reload, Volume of Fire, and The Balance of Speed and Precision. Pincus' book covers the content and underlying principles of the revolutionary Combat Focus Shooting Course in their entirety. Combat Focus Shooting is the intuitive shooting program that is designed to work with what the body and mind do naturally during a dynamic critical incident. This program helps the shooter to learn the "Balance Between Speed & Precision" and use either sighted or unsighted fire as appropriate to get combat-accurate hits efficiently during a lethal force encounter.”

Police-Writers.com now hosts 801 police officers (representing 362 police departments) and their 1708 law enforcement books in six categories, there are also listings of United States federal law enforcement employees turned authors, international police officers who have written books and civilian police personnel who have written books.

Increase Your Knowledge of Less-Lethal Devices

Law enforcement and corrections officers often use different labels for the same less-lethal device. To promote a better understanding of less-lethal devices—including operation, tactics, and terminology—NIJ is seeking volunteers to take a detailed, Web-based pilot course taught through the Penn State Fayette's Center for Community and Public Safety.

More Information
http://www.criminaljustice-online.com/forum11/989.html

Contributing Writer Discusses Counterinsurgency Manual

Editor’s Note: A copy is available here Counter Insurgency Manual

By John J. Kruzel
American Forces Press Service

Nov. 14, 2007 - A contributor to the Counterinsurgency Field Manual yesterday discussed the doctrine that codifies how the U.S. military can most effectively conduct asymmetric warfare. The doctrine, officially titled U.S. Army Field Manual 3-24 and Marine Corps Warfighting Publication 3-33.5, is a unique joint effort published in December 2006 by the two branches to help military and civilian operators face challenges posed by insurgencies that blend with civilian populations.

"In order to win that kind of war, in order to create security and stability in that environment, you cannot kill or capture your way to success," said Army Lt. Col. John A Nagl, a member of the writing team that penned the manual.

"What you have to do to defeat that kind of insurgency, to borrow Mao (Zedong's) phrase, is you have to drain the swamp: that is, decrease the number of people who support the ends of the insurgency," he said. "And the way you do that is by increasing the number of people who support the government and the coalition."

From September 2003 through September 2004, Nagl served as operations officer of 1st Battalion, 34th Armor, in Khalidiyah, Iraq, a city between Ramadi and Fallujah in Anbar province, then one of the country's most contentious regions.

Nagl said the insurgency there comprised one half of 1 percent of the population, equaling roughly 300 people who "actively wanted to kill us." The soldier's tank battalion task force numbered some 800, he said. By conventional logic, the conflict should have resulted in an unequivocal Army victory, but "those 300 were swimming in a sea of people," Nagl said.

The field manual emphasizes the roles of other U.S. government agencies in separating insurgents from civilians. It underscores that among such elements, a "unity of effort" -- the title of the manual's second chapter -- is vital in waging a successful counterinsurgency.

"All elements of the United States government ... must be integrated into the effort to build stable and secure societies that can secure their own borders and do not provide safe havens for terrorists," according to the field manual's foreword, written by Nagl, who now commands 1st Battalion, 34th Armor, at Fort Riley, Kan.

Nagl said the demand for codified doctrine was sorely needed by a U.S. military more prepared for conventional than asymmetric warfare. "It is not unfair to say that in 2003 most Army officers likely knew more about the U.S. Civil War than they did about counterinsurgency," the foreword says.

The notion that U.S. forces were not thoroughly trained in counterinsurgency strategy was echoed by Defense Secretary Robert M. Gates in a speech Oct. 10.

"Consider that in 1985 the core curriculum for the Army's 10-month Command and General Staff College assigned 30 hours -- about four days -- for what was is now called low-intensity conflict," Gates told the audience at the Association of the U.S. Army conference.

"This approach may have seemed validated by ultimate victory in the Cold War and the triumph of Desert Storm," he said, "but it left the service unprepared to deal with the operations that followed in Somalia, Haiti, the Balkans, and more recently Afghanistan and Iraq, the consequences and costs of which we are still struggling with today."

Gates called the counterinsurgency manual a milestone and added that the value of its tenants have been validated by recent progress in Iraq.

The manual was the culmination of efforts by a diverse group that includes academics, human rights advocates, representatives from journalism and non-governmental organizations, and top military strategists, including then-Army Lt. Gen. David H. Petraeus, now a four-star general and the commander of Multinational Force Iraq.

By all accounts, the 419-page field manual has been widely embraced. Not only was the manual downloaded more than 2 million times within two months of its release, but copies have even been discovered on Jihadi Web sites and in Taliban training camps in Pakistan.

Last year, the State Department hosted an interagency counterinsurgency conference that built a consensus behind the need for an interagency counterinsurgency manual, according to the field manual. In addition, the French government has expressed interest in partnering with the United States, the United Kingdom and Germany in a multilateral effort to frame counterinsurgency guidelines in an international context.

Eskimos, Treasure Island and LAPD

November 9, 2007 (San Dimas, CA) Police-Writers.com is a website that lists nearly 800 state and local police officers who have written books.

Jim Rowell was drafted into the United States Army in 1968. After Basic Training and Advanced Infantry Training he was deployed to Vietnam. According to Jim Rowell, “I landed in Vietnam on a bright yellow and red Brannif jet airplane on July 21, 1968. My first impression? The 120 degree heat that knocked me off my feet and a song playing in the background on a loudspeaker”

After his military service, Jim Rowell commenced a 28 year law enforcement career with the DeKalb County Police Department (Georgia). Suffering a heart attack in 1999, Jim Rowell retired from the DeKalb County Police Department Homicide Unit as a police captain. Throughout his law enforcement career, Jim Rowell served in uniform and as a detective in burglary, youth, sex crimes and homicide.

After retiring, Jim Rowell renewed his efforts to publish a manuscript he had written ten years before for his two children. Calling his story Granny and the Eskimo; Angels in Vietnam; which “describes his journey through life from youth to Vietnam where he experienced what can only be described as a paranormal event involving his mother and grandmother the day he was wounded in an ambush. He also tells the reader about his friendship with his mentor on the battlefield, the Eskimo. It was the Eskimo's untimely death on a cold winter night in Anchorage, Alaska that prompted Jim to write his story.”

In 1973, Larry Powalisz joined the Milwaukee Police Department’s police aide program, and, after a two year internship, was promoted to police officer, graduating from the City of Milwaukee Safety Academy in February 1976. During his tenure as a police officer, Larry patrolled one of Milwaukee’s busiest districts. He was later selected to become a member of the department’s Tactical Enforcement Unit—the full-time special weapons and tactics unit. He also served on the department’s Robbery Task Force.

In 1994, Larry Powalisz was promoted to the rank of detective, where he investigated robberies, shootings, and other violent criminal offenses. He was also assigned to the Milwaukee PD’s nationally recognized Gang Crimes Unit/Intelligence Division. In addition, Larry also served as a military special agent, where he recently completed 20 years of service in the United States Coast Guard Reserve.

In an effort to create a positive set of values for our nation’s next generation of impressionable young people, Larry put pen to paper and created this book, The Island Treasure Hunt, featuring two very likeable characters who find themselves faced with an ethical dilemma. The message conveyed by The Island Treasure Hunt is that good deeds do not go unnoticed. It’s a positive message today’s young people will hopefully realize.

Louis Jackson is a former Los Angeles Police Department police officer and the author of Raw in Blue. According to the book description of Raw in Blue, “A six year veteran on the force is subjected to all the ups and downs that a day in a cop's life entails: family disputes, robberies, gangs, and the like. Suddenly his life changes in a matter of moments. Intrigued by a beautiful TV star, he wanders into an unforeseen set of circumstances involving other cops, drugs, and his life. Things get worse as one of his best friends turns out to be smack in the middle of a possible way out unscathed. A gun battle to the death is the only answer for some. Romance and a daring plan unfolds and ends at a beautiful resort. Death and survival are the order of the day.”

Police-Writers.com now hosts 798 police officers (representing 360 police departments) and their 1706 law enforcement books in six categories, there are also listings of United States federal law enforcement employees turned authors, international police officers who have written books and civilian police personnel who have written books.

NOMINATION SEASON OPEN FOR 2008 SECRETARY OF DEFENSE EMPLOYER SUPPORT FREEDOM AWARD

National Guard and Reserve members and families encouraged to nominate supportive employers

The Department of Defense has opened the nomination season for the 2008 Secretary of Defense Employer Support Freedom Award. National Guard and Reserve members and their families are eligible and encouraged to nominate employers who have gone above and beyond in their support of military employees. Nominations will be accepted at www.esgr.mil from November 1, 2007 to January 21, 2008. The Secretary of Defense Employer Support Freedom Award is the U.S. Government’s highest recognition given to outstanding employers.

The 2008 recipients will be announced in the spring and honored in Washington, D.C. at the 13th annual Secretary of Defense Employer Support Freedom Award ceremony on September 18, 2008. Recipients of the 2007 Freedom Award met with President George W. Bush, Vice President Richard Cheney and Secretary of Defense Robert Gates; Vice Chairman of the Joints Chiefs of Staff Gen. James Cartwright presented the awards at a ceremony attended by members of Congress and senior government and military officials.

Almost one-half of the U.S. military is comprised of the National Guard and Reserve. The Department of Defense shares these citizen warriors with their civilian employers, many of whom provide significant support to their employees who serve in the National Guard and Reserve. Past recipients of the Freedom Award have provided full salary, continuation of benefits, care packages and even home and lawn care to families of employees fulfilling their military obligation.

The Freedom Award was instituted in 1996 under the auspices of the National Committee for Employer Support of the Guard and Reserve (ESGR) to recognize exceptional support from the employer community.

ESGR is a Department of Defense agency established in 1972. Its mission is to gain and maintain employer support for Guard and Reserve service by recognizing outstanding support, increasing awareness of the law, and resolving conflicts through informal mediation.

Previous Freedom Award recipients have included such large businesses as General Motors, Starbucks, Home Depot, American Express, Sears, General Electric, DuPont, and United Parcel Service; state and local governments, including the State of Tennessee and the Commonwealth of Massachusetts; and small businesses including the family owned Augustine & Sons farm in Rose Hill, IA and Turbocam International.

For questions regarding the nomination process, please contact Commander Craig Kujawa at 703.696.1386 x514.

Police Officers Killed by Terrorists

While the United States has not experienced a major terrorist attack since September 11, 2001, there have been continual terrorist attacks around the globe. According to the National Counter Terrorism Centers (NCTC) Worldwide Incident Tracking System (WITS), during 2004 there were only five terrorist incidents in the US (accounting for one injury). Conversely, during the same time period there were 3,192 terrorist incidents worldwide, resulting in 6,060 deaths and 16,091 wounded victims.

During 2004, 1,080 police officers were killed by terrorists and another 1,370 police officers were wounded by terrorists outside the US. Table one represents the number of officers killed and wounded versus the total number of people killed and wounded. The data seems to suggest that police officers who are victims of a terrorist act are much more likely to be killed (as opposed to wounded) than civilians who are victims of a terrorist act.

READ ON
http://www.hitechcj.com/homelandsecurity/lessons_learned_overseas.html

Military Guide to Terrorism in the 21st Century

In August 2005, the United States Army Training and Doctrine Command, Assistant Deputy Chief of Staff for Intelligence-Threats released the Military Guide to Terrorism in the Twenty-First Century. The Guide was designed primarily for US military forces, however, other applicable groups such as state and local first responders can benefit from the information contained in the Guide. While primarily written to support operational missions, institutional training, and professional military education for US military forces in the Global War on Terrorism (GWOT), US domestic first responders will also find the Guide beneficial.
According to the Guide, understanding terrorism spans foreign and domestic threats of nation-states, rogue states with international or transnational agent demonstrations, and actors with specific strategies, tactics, and targets. A central aspect of this terrorism guide comprises foreign and domestic threats against the United States of America in a contemporary operational environment (COE).
The Guide provides information on the nature of terrorism, terrorist groups and terrorist method of operations. Complied from open source materials, the Guide includes a main handbook and four supplemental readers:

http://www.hitechcj.com/homelandsecurity/military_guide_terrorism.html

What Every Business Leader Should Know About Homeland Security

Leadership in your home, work or some community activity includes preparing your followers for difficult times and situations. Having ready access to critical information can make the difference between your organization’s success or failure. A tool to assist leaders in self, organization and follower preparedness has been developed as a web-based primer. The tool answers these questions:

WHAT SHOULD I KNOW ABOUT THE THREAT LEVEL?
HOW DO I DEVELOP A BUSINESS PLAN?
WHAT SHOULD I KNOW ABOUT BIOTERRORISM?
WHAT DO I NEED TO KNOW ABOUT SUSPICIOUS PACKAGES?
WHAT SHOULD I TELL MY EMPLOYEES AND FRIENDS?
WHAT DO I NEED TO KNOW ABOUT RADIOLOGICAL WEAPONS?
WHAT SHOULD I KNOW ABOUT CYBER SECURITY?
HOW CAN I STAY INFORMED ON HOMELAND SECURITY ISSUES?
HOW CAN I PROMOTE PREPAREDNESS IN MY COMMUNITY?
DO I NEED PROFESSIONAL ASSISTANCE IN DEVELOPING MY PLAN?
HOW CAN I REPORT SUSPICIOUS ACTIVITY?

Visit the Web-based Primer.
http://www.hitechcj.com/homelandsecurity/business_resources.html

Becoming A Cop - The Blue And You

A police officer's world is populated by unsavory characters, regulated by laws, regulations and policies, and powered by spikes of adrenalin. A police officer's life is a balance between work and home, like every working person, but an officer's work is more than just their job—it is also who they are.

The uniform, badge and gear may come off when an officer reaches home, but the authority, sense of duty and commitment to community can never be laid aside. The training and dedication every officer carries with them is, and must be, ready to be put into action at a moment's notice—whether the officer is on duty or at home sipping a cool drink and grilling steaks.

READ ON
www.police-writers.com/becoming_a_cop.html

When Your Child is Missing: A Family Survival Guide.

What do to if your Child is Missing provides parents with the most current information on, and helpful insights into, what families should do when a child is missing. The first edition of this Guide was written in 1998 by parents and family members who have experienced the disappearance of a child. It contains their combined advice concerning what to expect when a child is missing, what needs to be done, and where to go for help. It explains the role that various agencies and organizations play in the search for a missing child and discusses some of the important issues that need to be considered. The Guide is divided into seven chapters, each of which is structured to allow information to be found quickly and easily. Each chapter explains both the short- and long-term issues and contains a checklist and chapter summary for later reference. A list of recommended readings and a list of public and private resources appear at the back of the Guide. This third edition of the Guide was published in 2004.

DOWNLOAD THE MANUAL
http://www.hitechcj.com/missing_child.html

Al Qaeda Manual

The manual was located in Manchester (England) by Metropolitan Police during a search of an Al Qaeda member's home. The manual was found in a computer file described as "the military series" related to the "Declaration of Jihad." The manual was translated into English and was introduced earlier this year at the embassy bombing trial in New York. The United States Department of Justice has removed certain portions of the text because they do not want to encourage terrorism. However, a brief selection the eighty page text demonstrates the value of the manual to emergency planners and first responders.

DOWNLOAD THE MANUAL
www.hitechcj.com/id223.html

NIJ Rural Law Enforcement Technology Institute

Last reminder prior to December deadline
Dates: February 24-28, 2008
Location: Charleston, South Carolina
Application Deadline: December 12, 2007

Overview
This technology institute, sponsored by the National Institute of Justice and hosted by the Rural Law Enforcement Technology Center, is designed for the command staff of rural and small law enforcement agencies containing less than 50 sworn officers. Law enforcement personnel will learn about and discuss technology initiatives and issues affecting the rural and small law enforcement community. Participants will receive information and assistance on existing and developing technologies, work through problems relating to technology implementation, and exchange technology lessons learned, that are of importance to the rural and small law enforcement community.

Registration and Attendance
There is no registration cost and all travel, food, and lodging expenses are paid. However, only 35 individuals will be selected to attend.

Note: Previous attendees of the Rural Law Enforcement Technology Institute or NIJ's Law Enforcement or Corrections Technology Institutes are not eligible to reattend.

Participants will give brief (no more than 15 minutes) presentations on a technology issue that their departments have encountered or are in the process of implementing (e.g., implementation of a crime mapping program, new communications system, automated booking station). The presentation can be either on an "issue to be dealt with" or a "lessons learned" and must be submitted on CD-ROM with the application.

Applications received after December 12, 2007 or without submitted presentation will not be considered.

Applications may be downloaded from the NIJ web site at www.ojp.usdoj.gov/nij/events/rural-institute.htm.

Contact Information

Please contact Scott Barker, Deputy Director-Rural Law Enforcement Technology Center, at 866-787-2553 or by email at ruletc1@aol.com for additional information about the Rural Law Enforcement Technology Institute

Ion Mobility Spectrophotometers (IMS) Survey

The U.S. Department of Homeland Security (DHS) Science and Technology Directorate (S&T) has asked the Idaho National Laboratory (INL), a component of the Department of Energy (DOE), to evaluate Ion Mobility Spectrophotometers (IMS) technology for First Responders.

IMS technologies for First Responders can be handheld and used to identify explosive, chemical and drug threats. To better obtain “boots on the ground” practitioner needs and experiences with IMS technology, the Idaho National Laboratory has prepared a First Responder survey located at www.imssurvey.org.

By participating in a short 10-15 minute survey you will be providing valuable input to on-going operational and standards research serving the First Responder community.