WHEREAS, trust and confidence in law enforcement can only be achieved when law enforcement agencies employ the highest caliber personnel who represent a diverse cross section of the communities which they serve; and

WHEREAS, the recruitment of the best possible candidates for employment in law enforcement agencies requires a comprehensive campaign which educates minorities and women on the importance of diversity in law enforcement; and

WHEREAS, the aging of the current law enforcement work force will greatly increase the need for additional law enforcement personnel in the near future; and

WHEREAS, law enforcement agencies must compete with private and other public sector employers for a shrinking pool of qualified people; and

WHEREAS, it has become increasingly difficult to attract qualified people to law enforcement careers due to the higher compensation, more traditional work schedules, and less stressful working conditions available in other careers; and

WHEREAS, successful recruitment requires full time dedicated personnel and financial resources to develop and administer job-related examinations that do not result in disparate impact; now, therefore, be it

RESOLVED, that it is the position of the International Association of Chiefs of Police that the United States Department of Justice should make COPS or other discretionary funds available to offset the expense of recruiters, test development and administration, consulting fees, advertising expenses and literature; and be it

FURTHER RESOLVED, that this funding should be a priority program for the Department of Justice.

WHEREAS, the theft of an individual’s identity (name, address, social security number, etc.) is a growing problem in the United States, costing citizens and commercial businesses millions of dollars through credit card fraud and other criminal activity each year; and

WHEREAS, with the growing use of modern electronics in today’s society, more personal, unsecured information is available, making an individual’s identify more susceptible to theft; and

WHEREAS, thousands of man hours are wasted by law enforcement every year as the result of criminal defendants misidentifying themselves; and

WHEREAS, there is an epidemic of cases in which the victim of such theft suffers long standing harm to his credit worthiness in addition to actual monetary loss; and

WHEREAS, obtaining and using personal identifying information should be a crime if it is done (1) without the authorization of the person whose identity was obtained and used (2) with the intent to obtain a benefit. The bill should specify the unlawful benefits as follows: fraudulently obtaining or attempting to obtain money, credit, goods or services, or avoiding the payment of a debt or other legal obligation or avoiding prosecution for a crime in the name of the other person without that person’s consent; now, therefore, be it

RESOLVED, that the International Association of Chiefs of Police calls upon all state legislatures to create a law that criminalizes and/or increases the penalties of existing laws that address obtaining of any personal identifying information pertaining to another person and using that information, or assisting another person in using that information, to pretend to be that person.

WHEREAS, Congress has recognized that court-ordered intercepts are an essential tool for law enforcement agencies; and

WHEREAS, state and local law enforcement agencies conduct the majority of court-approved intercepts in the United States; and

WHEREAS, the Communications Assistance for Law Enforcement Act (CALEA) was enacted by Congress in 1994; and

WHEREAS the Attorney General of the United States directed the FBI to carry out its provisions through a CALEA Implementation Section (CIS); and

WHEREAS, CIS has achieved it first phase objectives; and

WHEREAS, new technologies have been introduced since 1994 that are now employed by criminals; and

WHEREAS, many of the intended purposes of CALEA have yet to be realized; and

WHEREAS, the International Association of Chiefs of Police (IACP) seeks to protect the public from crime and to strengthen law enforcement services; now therefore be it

RESOLVED, that the IACP does hereby commend the Attorney General and the FBI for their assistance to state and local law enforcement; and request from the FBI a formal report to the IACP on use of telecommunications by criminals, implementation of CALEA and its impact upon state and local law enforcement agencies; and recommend to Congress that the Department of Justice and the FBI should institute a policy office that includes State and local law enforcement participation and is authorized to address concerns arising from new communications technologies and electronic surveillance; and recommend to Congress that continued funding be made available to carry out all the provisions of CALEA; and also recommend to Congress additional funding for State and local agencies to acquire needed equipment and pay expenses that have resulted from new and advanced telephony technology. This resolution was also sponsored by the Police Investigative Operations Committee.

WHEREAS, it is the mission of law enforcement to preserve law and order, enforce criminal and traffic law, and to provide for an environment of safety for the public; and

WHEREAS, to accomplish this mission, federal, state, and local law enforcement must ensure that they recruit, screen, hire, train, and maintain an adequate force of sworn law enforcement officers physically and mentally capable of enforcing the law and maintaining public safety; and

WHEREAS, the critical function of recruiting, screening, and training new sworn officers constitutes a major time expenditure by law enforcement agencies and significant cost to the taxpayer; and

WHEREAS, all state and local agencies must, at great expense to the agency and taxpayer, conduct full background checks on recruits who, after a conditional offer is made, are determined to be physically unqualified to perform the duties of sworn law enforcement; and

WHEREAS, with the exception of federal agencies, law enforcement agencies are currently prohibited from screening applicants prior to the extension of a condition job offer by the Americans with Disabilities Act (ADA); and

WHEREAS, all federal law enforcement agencies are currently exempt from the provisions of the ADA including the prohibition on pre-employment medical and agility evaluations; and

WHEREAS, the inability to state and local law enforcement agencies to conduct pre-employment medical, physical, and agility, and other testing results is the unnecessary expenditure of scarce resources on recruit processing and conditional offers of employment on clearly unqualified recruits; and

WHEREAS, this inability to screen out unqualified candidates causes unnecessary, costly, and time-consuming delays in the hiring process thereby reducing the availability of state and local law enforcement personnel in the field resulting in a reduced ability to provide an environment of safety for the public; now, therefore, be it

RESOLVED, that the International Association of Chiefs of Police (IACP) aggressively endorse and support federal legislation to amend the ADA to allow pre-employment screening of sworn law enforcement candidates by state and local law enforcement agencies; and be it

FURTHER RESOLVED, That the IACP encourages all state and local law enforcement agencies to request their respective national congressional delegations to introduce and support federal legislation to accomplish this goal.

WHEREAS, the ability of law enforcement agencies in different states to quickly access information about any driver operating in a particular state is an important safety concern to both the law enforcement officer and members of the public; and

WHEREAS, the ability to scan information regarding a motor vehicle operator into a database that interfaces with motor vehicle and law enforcement agencies throughout the country will increase safety to both law enforcement and the public by providing current information as the individual’s present ability to legally operate a motor vehicle, by identifying any outstanding warrants, and assist in identifying potentially dangerous individuals; now therefore, be it

RESOLVED, that the International Association of Chiefs of Police (IACP) duly assembled at its 108th Annual conference in Toronto, Ontario encourages the enactment of a Federal law that would provide for identifying information about all motor vehicle operators to be included in a bar code on motor vehicle licenses that would interface with state and federal law enforcement and motor vehicle agencies when scanned.

WHEREAS, a report by the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration indicates that States that upgrade from secondary enforcement to primary enforcement safety belt laws see safety belt use rates increase an average of seventeen percentage points; and

WHEREAS, Michigan, a state that switched from secondary to primary enforcement safety belt laws has credited the resulting increased safety belt use for a drop in traffic fatalities; and

WHEREAS, it is difficult for law enforcement officers to enforce secondary safety belt laws; and

WHEREAS, studies by the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration have shown strong support for primary enforcement across demographic groups in national surveys and provide documentation that there has been no disproportionate enforcement of safety belt laws with respect to minorities in states that have upgraded to primary enforcement; and

WHEREAS, studies have shown that safety belt use is lower among various ethnic groups resulting in proportionally more injuries and deaths to such ethnic groups; and

WHEREAS, deaths and injuries from traffic crashes can be significantly reduced by upgrading to primary enforcement laws; now, therefore, be it

RESOLVED, that the International Association of Chiefs of Police (IACP) duly assembled at its 108th Annual Conference in Toronto, Ontario endorses primary safety belt laws and encourages its members to participate in activities associated with upgrading existing secondary safety belt laws to primary laws.

WHEREAS, a report by the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration indicates that States that upgrade from secondary enforcement to primary enforcement safety belt laws see safety belt use rates increase an average of seventeen percentage points; and

WHEREAS, Michigan, a state that switched from secondary to primary enforcement safety belt laws has credited the resulting increased safety belt use for a drop in traffic fatalities; and

WHEREAS, it is difficult for law enforcement officers to enforce secondary safety belt laws; and

WHEREAS, studies by the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration have shown strong support for primary enforcement across demographic groups in national surveys and provide documentation that there has been no disproportionate enforcement of safety belt laws with respect to minorities in states that have upgraded to primary enforcement; and

WHEREAS, studies have shown that safety belt use is lower among various ethnic groups resulting in proportionally more injuries and deaths to such ethnic groups; and

WHEREAS, deaths and injuries from traffic crashes can be significantly reduced by upgrading to primary enforcement laws; now, therefore, be it

RESOLVED, that the International Association of Chiefs of Police (IACP) duly assembled at its 108th Annual Conference in Toronto, Ontario endorses primary safety belt laws and encourages its members to participate in activities associated with upgrading existing secondary safety belt laws to primary laws.

WHEREAS, the International Association of Chiefs of Police is committed to supporting federal legislation and programs that seek to improve quality and timeliness of forensic laboratory services; and

WHEREAS, the forensic sciences application of advanced technology is instrumental in the successful apprehension and prosecution of criminals and exoneration of the innocent; and

WHEREAS, the vast majority of the nation’s forensic science services are delivered by state and local government agencies; and

WHEREAS, due to significant funding deficiencies, forensic science laboratories at the local and state level are experiencing significant and debilitating caseload backlogs that severely impact on the timeliness and comprehensiveness of examinations critical to solving crimes; and

WHEREAS, these funding deficiencies significantly limit local and state laboratories from acquiring modern technology, adequately training qualified scientists, and upgrading laboratory facilities; and

WHEREAS, these funding deficiencies stand as a major impediment to local and state forensic science laboratories efforts at attaining professional accreditation; and

WHEREAS, the inability of local and state forensic science laboratories to meet the ever-increasing demand for services and to fully attain quality assurance requirements provides a major obstacle to the timely and effective administration of justice; now, therefore, be it

RESOLVED, that the International Association of Chiefs of Police duly assembled at its 108th Annual Conference in Toronto, Canada, fully supports and strongly encourages funding for the recently enacted National Forensic Sciences Improvement Act along with a 50% increase in funding for existing forensic science programs administered by the national Institute of Justice.

WHEREAS, too many people are killed or injured by drunk drivers each year; and

WHEREAS, driving under the influence of alcohol is a crime and should be treated as such; and

WHEREAS, stronger incentives and/or deterrents are needed to reduce the numbers of lives lost, damaged, or impacted by those who continue to drink and drive; now, therefore, be it

RESOLVED, that the International Association of Chiefs of Police (IACP) duly assembled at its 108th Annual Conference in Toronto, Ontario encourages the enactment of a federal law that would encourage States through various incentive programs to enact laws that criminalize driving with a blood alcohol content at or above .08%.

WHEREAS, the International Association of Chiefs of Police is committed to supporting federal legislation and programs which seek to enhance the public trust in policing; and

WHEREAS, the utilization of mobile video recording devices has been shown to be an effective, totally non-biased record of interaction between the police and the public it serves; and

WHEREAS, police departments regardless of locale or size would benefit from the impartial recording of police services; and

WHEREAS, the presence of mobile video recording devices provides an increased level of protection for personnel in the field as well as allowing management to have an insight into how officers interact with the public; and

WHEREAS, the federal government has reduced funding from approximately 12 million dollars during the last fiscal year to less than 3 million dollars this year for mobile video cameras; now, therefore, be it

RESOLVED, that the International Association of Chiefs of Police duly assembled at its 108th Annual Conference in Toronto, Canada, fully supports and strongly encourages additional funding be made available for the purchase of mobile video recording devices in all police patrol vehicles.

WHEREAS, the American Association of Motor Vehicle Administrators (AAMVA) has established a national Task Force on Identification Security; and

WHEREAS, this Task Force, which has included IACP members and other representatives of law enforcement; and

WHEREAS, driver’s licenses and non-driver’s identification cards issued by Departments of Motor Vehicles have become de facto the primary means of identifying individuals from the age of 16 onward in the United States and Canada for a variety of purposes; and

WHEREAS, the current climate of heightened domestic security makes it more important than ever to ensure the reliability and security of driver’s licenses; and

WHEREAS, AAMVA is developing a system called DRIVerS (Driver Identification and Verification System) that will include standardizing the definition of residency among all jurisdictions; having the expiration date of licenses issued to non-citizens coincide with the expiration of their visas; the use of one or more unique identifiers and interconnectivity of data bases between vital statistic offices and other appropriate agencies; pointer systems to identify problem drivers and security risks; anti-counterfeiting security features, overt and covert, embedded in licenses; and better training of DMV employees in the detection of fraudulent identification documents; and

WHEREAS, the success of DRIVerS will require changes in federal, state and provincial laws and regulations, the availability of federal funding, and cooperation among federal, state and provincial agencies at a level never before experienced; now, therefore, be it

RESOLVED, that the International Association of Chiefs of Police (IACP) urges its members to strongly support the work of the Task Force on Identification Security, thanks the AAMVA for its pioneering efforts, and urges the AAMVA to continue to involve national, provincial, state and local law enforcement agencies in the development and training process; and be it

FURTHER RESOLVED, that the IACP would support federal legislation that would provide national standards for the issuance of driver’s licenses provided that the following conditions are addressed:

• The legislation must set forth certain minimum standards to ensure that the information used to establish an individual’s identity at the time he or she applies for a driver’s license is valid and accurate and consistent from state to state;
• The legislation should set forth a requirement that driver’s licenses contain both a unique identifier, such as a fingerprint, and anti-counterfeiting security devices;
• The legislation should encourage states to link databases so that licensing agencies and law enforcement personnel in other states will be able to access an individual’s criminal and motor vehicle traffic violation history in order to assist in the identification of potential criminal suspects or problem drivers;
• The legislation should also increase the penalties for identity theft and identity fraud. and,
• The legislation should provide states with incentives to act and not penalize states with sanctions for the failure to act.

WHEREAS, every year public safety officers encounter the risks and hazards inherent to the profession; and

WHEREAS, in the performance of their duties, police officers, firefighters and others who work on the side of our roadways are killed or injured by passing motorists while engaged in traffic enforcement/ investigation activity; and WHEREAS, there is a legal obligation for all vehicle operators to drive their vehicles in a manner so as not to endanger others; now, therefore, be it

RESOLVED, that the International Association of Chiefs of Police (IACP) encourages all legislative bodies to enact stronger laws to protect emergency safety workers at the federal, state, provincial and local level, and encourages all law enforcement agencies to adopt and promote roadside safety issues in order to educate law enforcement officers and the public on roadside safety.