WHEREAS, the International Association of Chiefs of Police has selected Special Olympics as its charity of choice; and

WHEREAS, Special Olympics is a not for profit organization which specializes in helping individuals with special needs achieve success in both sports and life; and

WHEREAS, the partnership between law enforcement and Special Olympics has recently completed its 25th year of working together to raise funds and awareness for athletes throughout the world; and

WHEREAS, during our 25 year partnership, law enforcement personnel throughout the world have raised more than $237 million dollars to assist in that effort; and

WHEREAS, the Law Enforcement Torch Run for Special Olympics has become a community policing program which has assisted policing agencies in forming solid partnerships and relationships within their communities; and

WHEREAS, the leadership within the agencies who participate in law enforcement efforts is appreciated by the athletes, their families and the law enforcement personnel who participate; now, therefore, be it

RESOLVED, that the International Association of Chiefs of Police duly assembled at its 116th Annual Conference in Denver, Colorado continues to support and appreciate law enforcements efforts for this very worthwhile cause.

Submitted by: Law Enforcement Torch Run Committee

LETR.019.a09

State Police Inclusion in Future Federal Hiring Programs Submitted by Division of State and Provincial Police

SP.020.a09

WHEREAS, state police and highway patrol agencies play an integral and essential role in our efforts to protect our citizens and establish safer communities; and

WHEREAS, in addition to providing traditional law enforcement functions and answering calls for service throughout their states, these agencies also serve as the primary providers or the sole sources for such specialized services as emergency management, government security and executive protection, marine, aviation, canine, SWAT, explosive detection, and urban search and rescue units; and

WHEREAS, like their local counterparts, state police and highway patrol agencies are operating in an extremely challenging budgetary environment; and

WHEREAS, state budget reductions have resulted in the inability of many agencies to fill current and future vacancies at a time when state police and highway patrol agencies are being tasked with greater responsibility for issues including homeland security; and

WHEREAS, the International Association of Chiefs of Polices Division of State and Provincial Police applauds the efforts of the federal government to provide hiring funding for law enforcement through programs such as the COPS Hiring Recovery Program (CHRP); and

WHEREAS, we understand that the limited resources available to the CHRP made difficult choices necessary, the S&P is very troubled by the total exclusion of all state police agencies from the list of grant recipients; now, therefore, be it

RESOLVED, that the International Association of Chiefs of Polices Division of State and Provincial Police is resolute in its position that all federal hiring programs ensure that state police and highway patrol agencies are eligible participants, receiving full consideration, and that award evaluation criteria is inclusive of all law enforcement.

Adopted at the 119th Annual Conference

San Diego, CA
October 3, 2012

Supporting Restored Funding for State and Local Law Enforcement Assistance
Submitted by: Narcotics and Dangerous Drugs Committee
NDD.017.a12

WHEREAS, federal funding to state, local and tribal law enforcement is an integral part of successful drug enforcement; and

WHEREAS, the Edward Byrne Memorial Justice Assistance Grant (JAG) is the only source of federal funding available to local and state law enforcement for multi-jurisdictional drug enforcement; and

WHEREAS, JAG funding has averaged $461 million per fiscal year since Congress started appropriating funding for the program in FY 2005; and WHEREAS, Congress reduced funding for JAG by 17 percent in FY 2011, and imposed a 0.2 percent across-the-board recession; and

WHEREAS, while the FY 2012 appropriation for the JAG program was higher than the FY 2011 enacted funding, when $100 million in set-asides are subtracted from the total the FY 2012 appropriation, the funding for the actual JAG program was $352 million, a reduction from FY 2011; and

WHEREAS, the State and Local Law Enforcement Assistance account administered by the Department of Justice, which provides assistance to improve the functioning of state, local, and tribal criminal justice systems, is potentially facing a 13.8 percent cut in FY 2013; and

WHEREAS, numerous state, local, and tribal jurisdictions are facing significant budget cuts that undermine drug enforcement efforts; and WHEREAS, for example, the State of California imposed a $71 million budget cut to its $77 million budget for the Bureau of Narcotics Enforcement, resulting in the loss of an additional $40 million in matching federal funds; and

WHEREAS, for example, the Missouri Sheriff Methamphetamine Action Relief Team program suffered $1.5 million in cuts, jeopardizing the ability of law enforcement to address widespread methamphetamine production and distribution in that jurisdiction; and

WHEREAS, for example, funding in the State of Montana was eradicated for the Northwest Drug Task Force, which was dedicated to targeting, disrupting and dismantling drug trafficking organizations in Western Montana; and

WHEREAS, for example, the State of Nebraska's III-CORPS Drug Task Force is facing a 25 percent to 30 percent cut in funding, which could result in a $90,000 reduction in their $302,000 budget in FY 2013; and

WHEREAS, for example, budget cuts in the State of New York have caused the Bureau of Narcotics Enforcement to lay off drug investigators across the state; and

WHEREAS, for example, the Oregon State Police face budget cuts that could result in the loss of 25 detectives from regional drug task forces; and

WHEREAS, for example, in 2011, $1.5 million in grant funding was eliminated for the Drug Task Force in Washington State, which, helped remove in excess of 36,000 marijuana plants from Columbia County, combated narcotics sales, eradicated methamphetamine laboratories, conducted investigations, and combated drug trafficking; now, therefore, be it

RESOLVED, that the International Association of Chiefs of Police (IACP) duly assembled at its 119th Annual Conference in San Diego, California strongly urges the United States Congress and the Administration to provide continued funding for State and Local Law Enforcement Assistance to fully fund state, local and tribal and multi-jurisdictional drug task forces so that law enforcement may continue to effectively combat the destructive effects of drug crime in our communities.

WHEREAS, in recent years the IACP Civil Rights Committee has invested in Youth Outreach for the benefit of local children in the Host Cities of the IACP Annual Conferences.

WHEREAS, the Civil Rights Committee members wish to continue and expand the outreach opportunities offered to local children in these cities through more direct involvement of IACP Members and local, county, state and federal law enforcement officers.

WHEREAS, the Cal Ripken Sr. Foundation (a non-profit, Maryland based, 501(c)3 Corporation) has offered to partner with the IACP in the delivery and production of their "Badges for Baseball" program for the local children of the Host Cities of the IACP Annual Conferences in cooperation with the IACP Civil Rights Committee, and any other Committee and/or Section that would care to participate.

WHEREAS, the "Badges for Baseball" program is a one-day initiative established in 2006 through funding provided by the U.S. Department of Justice to the Cal Ripken Sr. Foundation to develop a baseball-based curriculum that teaches the core values of character, honesty, ethics, teamwork, fair play, following the rule, and health & fitness to underserved youth between the ages of 12 – 15, with police officers volunteering or assigned as the coaches and mentors. This program would be delivered on a local college or university campus and include support from that student body of student/athletes and multicultural undergraduates as participants alongside volunteer law enforcement officers, all who will provide role-modeling and guidance as positive community members who emphasizing the above listed core values as well as the importance of education.

WHEREAS, the Civil Rights Committee has voted unanimously in favor of promoting the "Badges for Baseball" program at IACP Philadelphia 2013, and annually at future Annual Conferences, provided that suitable facilities, law enforcement commitment and corporate sponsorships can be secured.

RESOLVED, the IACP recognizes the importance of "giving back" to our Host Cities and the value of Youth Outreach as an important investment in our future.

FURTHER RESOLVED, the IACP supports the delivery of the "Badges for Baseball" program at Annual Conference Host Cities.

Submitted by: Civil Rights Committee

CIV.032.a12

WHEREAS, interest has been expressed in approaching the U.S. Postal Service Citizen Stamp Advisory Committee to urge the creation of a postage stamp honoring not only those law enforcement officers who have died, but also the 500,000 officers who actively serve today; and

WHEREAS, the Executive Committee of the International Association of Chiefs of Police at its meeting held on February 10, 1996, in Phoenix, Arizona, fully discussed the issue and subsequently voted to have staff contact the Stamp Advisory Committee to urge the creation of such a stamp; and

WHEREAS, this action of the Executive Committee should be ratified by the general membership; now, therefore, be it

RESOLVED, that the International Association of Chiefs of Police (IACP), duly assembled at its 103rd annual conference in Phoenix, Arizona, hereby ratifies the actions of the Executive Committee in urging the creation of a Law Enforcement Memorial Postage Stamp.

WHEREAS, both bodies of the Congress voted on July 22, 1996 and President Clinton subsequently signed, H.R. 497, a bill that creates a nine-member commission to examine every aspect of the gambling wave that has swept across this country in recent years; and

WHEREAS, the commission is to study the impact on families, businesses, communities, and state, tribal, and local governments; and

WHEREAS, the Executive Committee of the International Association of Chiefs of Police at its meeting held on August 10, 1996, in Concord, New Hampshire, discussed the commission and the possibility of having as one of the commissioners a representative from the IACP; and

WHEREAS, David G. Walchak has previously strongly urged the creation of such a commission; and

WHEREAS, the Executive Committee of the International Association of Chiefs of Police voted to recommend to the leaders of Congress, who have the ability to appoint commissioners and to the President of the United States, who also can appoint commissioners, that David G. Walchak be appointed as one commissioner, representing IACP and law enforcement, and directed staff to complete appropriate communications; and

WHEREAS, this action of the Executive Committee should be ratified by the general membership; now, therefore, be it

RESOLVED, that the International Association of Chiefs of Police (IACP), duly assembled at its 103rd annual conference in Phoenix, Arizona, hereby ratifies the actions of the Executive Committee in urging the appointment of David G. Walchak as commissioner to the National Commission on Gambling, established by H.R. 497 of the 104th Congress.

WHEREAS, the tragedy of September 11, 2001 has renewed debate on how to deal with emergencies in high-rise structures; and

WHEREAS, fire equipment, due to ladder limitations, may only extend to a maximum of eighty feet, and some situations may preclude surface vehicles and personnel, both police and fire, from safely accessing an impacted area; and

WHEREAS, police helicopters are excellent tools for assisting emergency service personnel during high-rise emergencies by safely inserting and extracting law enforcement and fire fighting personnel and equipment on to a structure to deal with the emergency from above; and

WHEREAS, helicopters may allow the occasional evacuation of victims where ground evacuation is not possible; and

WHEREAS, experience in a number of cities has shown that, on occasion, there is a clear and present need to have the capability to provide safe, immediate and effective helicopter support during emergencies in high-rise buildings; now, therefore, be it

RESOLVED, that the International Association of Chiefs of Police supports the concept of emergency helicopter landing facilities for high-rise structures. Such facilities would allow for safer operating environments by providing preplanned, cleared landing areas for helicopters that are assisting ground personnel during high-rise emergencies.

WHEREAS, the International Association of Chiefs of Police (IACP) and the Division of State Associations of Chiefs of Police (SACOP) are dedicated to advancing and promoting the highest levels of professionalism and ethics in police services worldwide; and

WHEREAS, the IACP and SACOP are further dedicated to supporting and advocating for the safety and well-being of all law enforcement officers; and

WHEREAS, Haddon Heights, New Jersey, Patrolman John Norcross and Camden County Prosecutor’s Office Investigator John McLaughlin were murdered on April 20, 1995, by Leslie Nelson (formerly Glen Nelson), who opened fire on the officers with an AK-47, and John Norcross’ brother, Richard Norcross, was also shot but survived; and

WHEREAS, Leslie Nelson was sentenced to death for the murders of Officer Norcross and Investigator McLaughlin, but instead has been serving a life sentence at the Edna Mahan Correctional Facility for Women; and

WHEREAS, in August 2005, Leslie Nelson was honored as the “Inmate of the Month” by the Edna Mahan Correctional Facility for Women, the “honor” including a luncheon and a certificate; and

WHEREAS, bestowing any type of honor or reward to an individual convicted of the brutal, cold-blooded murder of police officers is an outrage to society and a deep insult to every law enforcement officer in New Jersey, the United States, and the world; and

WHEREAS, the outrage and insult is immeasurably multiplied when such an honor is bestowed by an arm of the government of the state of New Jersey; now, therefore be it

RESOLVED that the members of the International Association of Chiefs of Police condemn the awarding of the “Inmate of the Month” designation to Leslie Nelson by the Edna Mahan Correctional Facility for Women.

WHEREAS, the issue of unidentified deceased persons is a significant but often overlooked matter; and

WHEREAS, current resources to deal with this issue in the law enforcement, medical examiner and coroner communities are significantly lacking; and

WHEREAS, many unidentified deceased persons have had, during their lifetime, artificial prosthetic dental or other implants such as hips or knees implanted in their bodies; and

WHEREAS, these dental and prosthetic implants are serial numbered but not registered in any commonly accessible national and international databases; now, therefore, be it

RESOLVED, that the International Association of Chiefs of Police recommends the creation of a national registry of these dental and prosthetic devices in order to assist in the identification of unknown deceased persons.

WHEREAS, state and local police are often the first to respond to a terrorist attack and are most likely to chance encounter individuals involved with terrorist organizations during routine police work; and

WHEREAS, effective anti-drug programs are effective anti-terrorism programs, and evidence indicates that terrorist organizations that are funded in part by the sale of illegal drugs adds a new dimension to the need for the continued investigation of narcotics-related crime; and

WHEREAS, the battle against terrorism must also include an analysis of how the illegal manufacture, sale, and distribution of drugs are increasingly being used to fund terrorists and how the eradication of illicit drugs will provide for the safety of our citizens and eliminate a major source of revenue for terrorists (“National District Attorneys Association, Policy Positions on Drug Control and Enforcement,” Adopted March 20, 2004, available at www.ndaa.org); and

WHEREAS, law enforcement intelligence information may be shared more efficiently through greater use of technology and information sharing programs; and

WHEREAS, information sharing systems such as the Terrorist Screening Center (TSC) and the El Paso Intelligence Center (EPIC) assist local, state, tribal, and federal law enforcement officers with ready access to information and expertise from a wide range of sources; and

WHEREAS, training is an essential part of expanding the traditional enforcement approach to routine investigative stops by fully exploiting available information sharing systems to ensure that all available information is gathered and shared as part of a national anti-crime and anti-terrorism effort; now, therefore be it

RESOLVED that the International Association of Chiefs of Police strongly encourages all law enforcement agencies to recognize the close relationship between narcotics interdiction and the interdiction of terrorist activities and provide patrol officers with training in the detection of terrorist activities by using the resources of national information sharing systems to identify such activities.

WHEREAS, in 1990, the Cash Management Improvement Act (CMIA) was an amendment to the Intergovernmental Cooperation Act, 31 U.S.C. 6503; and

WHEREAS, under the provisions of Public Law 101-453, (31 U.S.C. 5(b)), states are no longer exempt from payment of interest to the federal government for drawing down funds prior to the need to pay off obligations incurred; and

WHEREAS, the provisions of 31 U.S.C. section 6503(c) (1) require that the states pay interest in the event that the states draw down funds before the funds are needed to pay for program expenses; and

WHEREAS, federal grant guidelines extend this requirement to localities; and

WHEREAS, state and local governments who are responsible for Homeland Security use grant funds to prevent, protect, respond and recover from an attack; and

WHEREAS, this requirement reduces the amount of homeland security funding available for state and local law enforcement agencies; and

WHEREAS, the majority of law enforcement agencies do not have the funds available in their budgets to pay for large equipment purchases “up-front” and seek reimbursement later, while at the same time, municipal laws often require funds to be in an account before equipment can be ordered; and

WHEREAS, the federal government has made provisions for advance funds in both the Local Law Enforcement Block Grant (LLEBG) and the Juvenile Accountability Incentive Block Grant (JAIBG) that allow for advancement of funds and interest earned on these funds to be rolled back into the programs thereby increasing the amount of money going into the programs; and

WHEREAS, allowing for the advancement of funds and retaining of interest would allow local law enforcement agencies to spend those funds more quickly and thereby increase preparedness; and

WHEREAS, the advance of homeland security funds to state and local governments enhances crime control programs; now, therefore be it

RESOLVED that the U.S. Department of Homeland Security administer the Homeland Security Grant Program (including the State Homeland Security Program (SHSP), Law Enforcement Terrorism Protection Program (LETPP) and Urban Area Security Initiative (UASI)) in the same manner as the LLEBG, allowing interest earned on those funds to be rolled back into the program.

WHEREAS, local, state, tribal, and federal law enforcement agents and officers engaged in routine police work are an excellent resource to gather information related to all kinds of threats and vulnerabilities that can be applied equally to terrorist threats and crimes in the community (“The National Criminal Intelligence Sharing Plan,” October 2003); and

WHEREAS, it is essential for local, state, tribal, and federal law enforcement agencies to be able to quickly access and disseminate relevant information from shared law enforcement databases in a secure manner; and

WHEREAS, traditional, hierarchical intelligence functions need to be reexamined and replaced with cooperative, fluid structures that can collect information and move intelligence to end users more quickly (“Intelligence Led Policing: The New Intelligence Architecture,” September 2005); and

WHEREAS, systems such as the National Drug Pointer Index (NDPIX), which was developed to help federal, state, and local law enforcement agencies investigate drug trafficking organizations and enhance officer safety by preventing duplicate investigations and allowing investigators to quickly establish a link by telephone in cases of common interest, exemplifies the benefits of a structured information sharing system; and

WHEREAS, the El Paso Intelligence Center (EPIC), which began in 1974 and now includes 15 federal agencies along with information sharing agreements with law enforcement agencies from all 50 states, the District of Columbia, Puerto Rico, the U.S. Virgin Islands, Guam, and Canada, has successfully proven the benefits of cooperative information sharing among all levels of law enforcement; now, therefore be it

RESOLVED that the International Association of Chiefs of Police strongly supports the development and expansion of law enforcement information sharing systems such as EPIC and NDPIX, which have successfully demonstrated the ability to timely share relevant law enforcement information across all levels of law enforcement.