On October 28, 2019, President Donald Trump addressed the International Association of Chiefs of Police (IACP) Annual Conference and Exposition in Chicago, IL. He also signed an executive order establishing a Commission on Law Enforcement and the Administration of Justice tasked with studying key issues facing law enforcement and best practices for recruiting, training, and supporting law enforcement officers. The commission will be led by Attorney General William Barr. A report and recommendations are scheduled to be delivered to the President next year.

The IACP Annual Conference and Exposition was held October 26–29. More than 16,000 public safety professionals attend this conference each year to learn new techniques, advance their knowledge, network with their peers, and equip their departments for ongoing success.

In a session titled “Gang Suppression Needs and Resources: A Law Enforcement Perspective,” representatives of OJJDP and other OJP bureaus, as well as the Office of Community Oriented Policing Services (COPS), shared information about training and technical assistance that is available to support law enforcement in suppressing gang activity. Katharine T. Sullivan, OJP Principal Deputy Assistant Attorney General, and Phil Keith, Director of the COPS Office, offered introductory remarks.

OJJDP Senior Policy Advisor Scott Pestridge and National Gang Center Director Meena Harris provided an overview of resources available through OJJDP’s National Gang Center, which provides training and technical assistance to cities and jurisdictions, both rural and urban, with chronic and emerging gang problems. The session also described resources available through the Bureau of Justice Assistance’s National Training and Technical Assistance Center and the Office of Community Oriented Policing Services’ Collaborative Reform Initiative Technical Assistance Center.

In a discussion moderated by R. Sean Baldwin, a retired chief of the Fort Pierce, FL, Police Department, law enforcement professionals shared successes and challenges in addressing gang activity and offered recommendations for improving law enforcement’s ability to respond to emerging gang problems and create comprehensive solutions to prevent gang violence, reduce gang involvement, and combat gang-related crime.

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For more information about IACP, visit the association’s website.