Learn about the 7 Critical Needs of Victims and the Impact of Vicarious Trauma on Victim Response! This document contains detailed information about the thought processes behind the ELERV Strategy as well as concrete implementation steps, tips and examples from the demonstration site teams, and links to tools, resources, and customizable templates.

Hiring decisions are among the most impactful decisions a police agency can make. Agencies that want to build positive relationships with their communities, improve their public perception, and recruit more personnel will commit to a hiring process that embraces diversity and reflects community values.

The Considerations document outlines items that agencies should examine when developing their own policies on recruitment and hiring practices. The Concepts & Issues paper provides further context and explanation. This material may be of value to police in their efforts to develop their own policies for recruiting and hiring police officers.

The Standard Functional Specifications for Law Enforcement Records Management Systems Version IV was developed by the Records Management Standards (RMS) Task Force, a joint effort by the Integrated Justice Information Systems (IJIS) Institute Law Enforcement Advisory Committee (LEAC) and the IACP's Criminal Justice Information Systems (CJIS) Committee.

Recognizing the rapid pace of change in law enforcement technology and practices, the Task Force and partner organizations have adopted a strategy of incremental updates. In 2024, new Task Force members began collaborative efforts to revise areas previously identified for improvement. These led to the current version of the standards. The task force will continue updating the specifications to incorporate new technologies, address emerging challenges, and reflect the most current best practices in law enforcement. This approach ensures agencies have access to modern, relevant, and robust guidelines for effective RMS implementation and management.

As a reference, Version III, which was published in April 2021, is included in the resources tab underneath Version IV, published May 2025.

Transparency is essential in today’s policing environment. Engaging community members and stakeholders regarding the benefits of the National Incident-Based Reporting System (NIBRS) can promote understanding and acceptance of this new method of reporting an agency’s crime statistics. NCS-X’s Talking About NIBRS: Messaging About Crime Data to Stakeholders provides best practices on how to effectively communicate an agency’s transition to reporting NIBRS crime data.

While the document identifies tips for NIBRS messaging, such as educating personnel and staff on the benefits of NIBRS and anticipating potential questions from data users, it also lays out important messages that answer how incident-based reporting is different from the UCR Program’s traditional Summary Reporting System. These messages will help stakeholders to better understand the many benefits of the switch to NIBRS. The document explains how NIBRS crime data provides meaningful insight for addressing public safety issues and can help to build positive relationships and trust with the community.

Curious about how to begin the communication process? Talking About NIBRS provides recommendations for the best ways for an agency to reach out and engage with the public using social media, press releases, city council meetings, and annual reports. 

Issuing a press release to announce an agency’s transition is identified as an important communication tool to help inform stakeholders of NIBRS crime data. The NCS-X team has identified five key components of writing a press release:

1. Describe what is changing;
2. Explain why the change is necessary;
3. Communicate when the change is happening;
4. Describe how the change will affect the community; and
5. Emphasize the benefits of the change.

The document also provides sample text and formatting to illustrate these five elements in a developed press release.

Support for 2020 Model Ordinance for Alarm Management and False Alarm Reduction

Submitted by: Private Sector Liaison Section PSLS.01.21

WHEREAS, the International Association of Chiefs of Police (IACP) supports efforts of the life safety, alarm, and electronic security industries, represented by the Security Industry Alarm Coalition; and,

WHEREAS, IACP recognizes the importance of strong relationships between law enforcement and the private sector; and,

WHEREAS, IACP recognizes the importance of accountability in false alarm reduction to maximize officer safety and efficiency in the deployment of law enforcement resources; and,

WHEREAS, IACP acknowledges that correctly installed, operated and monitored electronic security systems are effective resources which help to deter crime, assist in apprehensions, reduce property loss and potentially save lives; and,

WHEREAS, IACP recognizes the need to focus on the credibility of alarms received by Public Safety Answering Points/Emergency Communication Centers from alarm companies and private entities through the establishment of best practices as contained in this Model Ordinance for Alarm Management and False Alarm Reduction, duly vetted and recommended by the Private Sector Liaison Section; and,

WHEREAS, IACP recognizes the need for and value of enforcement tools and alarm management processes recommended in this Model Ordinance to achieve the desired reduction in alarm dispatches experienced by police agencies; therefore, be it

RESOLVED, that the IACP encourages the use of the 2020 Model Ordinance for Alarm Management and False Alarm Reduction and all of the leading practices it contains by law enforcement agencies and the communities they serve.

In December 2019, the Bureau of Justice Statistics sponsored a one-day NCS-X workshop to gather input from stakeholders, including police practitioners, researchers, and crime and data analysts on ways to leverage incident-based data for enhanced tactical and strategic analysis and to improve policing practice and build community trust as a result of the nationwide transition to NIBRS.

This report summarizes the workshop’s key themes, a compilation of innovative analytic approaches identified by the workshop participants, and activities that could promote and accelerate the use of NIBRS data and is intended to help law enforcement practitioners, police executives, and researchers.

Emergency Preparedness Considerations Toolkit serves as a roadmap to help law enforcement families, officers and agencies prepare for an emergency. By being proactive and prepared, officers can report for duty feeling better about their own family’s level of safety.

Law enforcement officers are routinely exposed to stressful, demanding incidents that challenge them both physically and mentally. The support system officers return home to at the end of a shift can have a significant impact on their resiliency. Whether they process the emotions following a shift by playing with their children or communicating with their partner, these interactions ensure an officer can return to work healthy and perform effectively. Members of these support systems—such as partners, children, parents, and friends—should have their own strategies and resources in place to foster a stronger support system for an officer. 

Whether establishing or enhancing a law enforcement-based victim services program, creating victim resources is critical. Pamphlets can be a valuable tool for victim services personnel to use with victims and witnesses of crime. While not a replacement for advocacy, pamphlets can be a complementary tool for victim services personnel to engage victims in conversations about their rights, the criminal justice system, and available resources. They can also help ensure victims have needed information to refer to throughout their participation in investigation and court processes. This document provides pamphlet templates to serve as a starting point for agencies but is not an exhaustive list of resources. These templates were developed through a review of documents from existing law enforcement-based victim services programs. All templates should be carefully reviewed to ensure information is consistent with agency, statutory, and constitutional requirements within the local jurisdiction. 

These tip sheets provide strategies for enhancing your agency’s response to domestic and sexual violence by focusing on key areas such as agency mission, the role of supervisors, and collaboration with local partners.

The Sexual Assault Supplemental Report Packet is to be used for the reporting, recording, and investigation of all sexual assault incidents. The packet supports the comprehensive documentation of information and evidence relevant to sexual assault cases in order to better support victims and hold perpetrators accountable.