Introduction and Purpose: Cross-Disciplinary Training & Cooperation
One of the key reason for the success of many carer programs is the need to cooperate across disciplines and thus to create training and education programs that help students and professionals gain the skills and knowledge to work across disciplines in a wide variety of situations. This section attempts to provide some ideas for doing that.
1. IdentityTheft.gov Helps First Responders Help ID Theft Victims
By Nat Wood, Associate Director, Division of Consumer & Business Education, Federal Trade Commission
The Department of Justice’s most recent statistics show that identity theft affected an estimated 17.6 million victims in the United States in 2014, representing 7% of all residents over the age of 16. Given the numbers, the chances are that law enforcement is seeing identity theft victims with increasing frequency.
When law enforcement meets them, these crime victims may have just discovered that someone appropriated their most personal information, possibly to get a credit card, open a store account, claim their tax refund, or collect their Social Security benefits.
They need to act fast to regain control over their finances. They have to clear their credit, close fraudulent accounts, check their credit reports and account statements, contact government agencies, and take other steps, depending on the type of identity theft that occurred. Most likely, they don’t know where to begin.
“Local law enforcement is often the first place identity theft victims turn for help,” said Mary Gavin, Chief of Police for Falls Church, Virginia, and an Executive Committee member of the IACP, which has joined forces with the FTC to encourage law officers to use IdentityTheft.gov to engage with and assist identity theft victims. Why? Because IdentityTheft.gov offers immediate help to victims, aids law enforcement, and can be part of a community policing initiative that can help build community trust. Read more…
2. Agents and Analysts Training Together
The FBI has begun training new special agents and intelligence analysts together so that they graduate from the FBI Academy and begin their first assignments fully prepared for collaborative work in the field thanks to an innovative training program launched in 2015.
Dubbed the Basic Field Training Course (BFTC), the new program offers an integrated curriculum that places new agent and intelligence analyst trainees together in a squad-like environment—the way agents and analysts work in actual FBI field offices. During the course, trainees learn skills like conducting investigations, interviewing, and providing briefings. Their academic training culminates with criminal and counterterrorism exercises modeled after real-world scenarios.
“The BFTC serves as an important element of our continued efforts to improve collaboration throughout the organization,” said Mark Morgan, assistant director of the Bureau’s Training Division. “From their first days in the FBI, special agents and intelligence analysts sit side-by-side, wear the same uniforms, and learn the necessity of working as a single, integrated, cohesive team. This is an exciting shift in the way we do things.”
ATF began a similar approach about 20 years ago by having new agents and compliance inspectors trained together. More agencies need to consider similar training approaches to reflect actually job situations or desired collaborative environments.
3. Building Regional Police Collaboration: A Different Perspective Based on Lessons Learned
By Mike Masterson and Eugene Smith, M.S. in FBI Bulletin, Jan. 2016
This article discusses the use of mutual aid agreements that are more than just processes and procedures for responding to disasters or emergencies once they have happened. Such agreements are an essential component of deterrence and prevention. When mutual aid agreements are used as proactive vehicles, their utility is vastly expanded and, some should argue, is even more valuable than their response capabilities. Local law enforcement agencies that work closely together to identify regional threats, share intelligence, and work constructively with private sector entities and other governmental agencies are more likely to prevent an emergency or disaster.Read More
4. Working with Schools: Police Mentoring
The Hollywood, Florida, Police Department (HPD) uses mentoring to show that it values the development of its community’s youth. The department established its Cops Mentoring Kids program during the 2015-2016 academic year.Collaboration proves necessary to resolve community issues.
HPD asked every public elementary school to identify at-risk students who could benefit from the program. The schools selected troublesome young people who needed attention and struggled most due to problems, ranging from poor parenting to homelessness. At-risk youth appear less likely to have mentors, but more likely to want them. This link provides details.