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The Columbus Model: Crowd Psychology, Dialogue Policing and Protest Management in the U.S.A.

This article examines the implementation of a dialogue-led protest policing model in Columbus, Ohio, based on the Elaborated Social Identity Model (ESIM). This framework, titled Public Order and Public Safety (POPS), incorporated dialogue, de-escalation, and graded tactical employment into its process.

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Midyear Violent Crime Survey National Totals

The Major Cities Chiefs Association released its midyear 2025 and 2024 violent crime report. Compared to the same period last year, member agencies have seen a decrease in violent crime.

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NPI Consulting Services for Law Enforcement

The National Policing Institute (NPI) is excited to announce the expansion of its Consulting Services program, now offering five specialized services to help law enforcement agencies nationwide strengthen their operations and better serve their communities. Drawing on over 50 years of experience, NPI provides expert, data-driven guidance through Staffing Studies, Efficiency Analysis, Organizational Assessments, Workforce Wellness Analysis and Benchmarking, and Data Quality Assessments. These services are designed to help agencies allocate resources effectively, streamline operations, align internal systems with their mission, support officer well-being, and improve the integrity of their data. With a team of seasoned practitioners and researchers, NPI empowers agencies to strengthen their operations and better serve their communities.

Interested in working with NPI on something not listed here? Please reach out—we’ve supported agencies on a wide range of needs beyond these offerings. Visit our Other Services page to learn more, or contact us today to explore how NPI can support your agency's goals, contact us today.

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Critical Incident Preparedness Toolkit: Assessing Capacity to Respond to Active Assailant Events

The Office of Community Oriented Policing Services (COPS Office) has released a self-assessment tool designed to assist public safety and emergency response professionals, school administrators and security professionals, elected officials, and communities in considering potential active shooter scenarios and options for dealing with them. The tool proposes questions to determine an agency’s preparedness status in seven categories, offers guidance to inform next steps, and recommends resources for improving policies and practices to reduce community potential for mass violence, swiftly respond to incidents, and enhance trauma and support services in their wake.

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The Guardian's Way: How the Brooklyn Center Police Department Re-Energized its Team

The National Policing Institute recently released a piece titled "The Guardian's Way: How the Brooklyn Center Police Department Re-Energized Its Team." This work dives into the story of Chief Garett Flesland when he took leadership of the Brooklyn Center Police Department during a time of crisis. The Chief focused on department-wide culture change characterized by gratitude, personal accountability, and adaptability, and utilized three guiding values to rebuild the fractured workplace culture—be professional, choose happiness, and serve proudly.

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The First Annual Howard C. Liebengood Symposium: The Evolving Law Enforcement Landscape and The First Responders' Mental Health Crisis

Registration has opened for the First Annual Howard C. Liebengood Symposium hosted by the Johns Hopkins University Bloomberg Center in Washington, D.C. This symposium, held on September 17-18, 2025, will focus on the evolving law enforcement landscape and the first responder mental health crisis.

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The National Case Closed Project's Solvability Calculator for Active Nonfatal Shooting Investigations

The National Case Closed Project developed an evidence-based solvability calculator to be used in active nonfatal shooting investigations that should improve accuracy, uniformity, and transparency in case solvability triage decision-making.

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Smart Cities: Technologies and Policy Options to Enhance Services and Transparency

Cities are using "smart city" technologies to improve public services in transportation and law enforcement, such as traffic cameras and tools like license plate readers and gunshot detection systems. While these technologies can improve service delivery, their benefits are difficult to assess, and concerns exist about limited transparency and the potential misuse of collected data. GAO identified three policy options to guide in responsibly implementing these technologies.

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OnPolicing Blog: Force Multipliers in Action: Advancing Policing Through Strategic Innovation

In NPI's latest OnPolicing blog, NPI President Jim Burch challenges us to redefine innovation. This piece reframes how we think about leadership, partnerships, and training.

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OnPolicing Blog: Fourth Amendment Limitations on DNA Collection, Procurement, and Retention

DNA has been a powerful tool for law enforcement agencies in solving crimes and pursuing new leads for cold cases. With CODIS providing agencies access to profiles obtained under federal, state, and local systems, the courts have weighed in on where individual rights and the public's interest stand.

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Latest Resources

Visit the Knowledge Lab's full resource index

Guidebook/Tool | 2024

Preparing Law Enforcement Agencies for Embedded Clinicians

  • Community Trust and Partnerships
  • Mental Health and Crisis Response

Report | 2023

Dispatching Community Responders to 911 Calls

  • Crime and Violence Response
  • Community Trust and Partnerships
  • Mental Health and Crisis Response
  • Responding to Mass Critical Incidents

Guidebook/Tool | 2023

911 Dispatch Call Processing Protocols: Key Tools for Coordinating Effective Call Triage

  • Mental Health and Crisis Response

Guidebook/Tool, Webpage | 2023

Community-Driven Crisis Response: A Workbook for Coordinators

  • Community Trust and Partnerships
  • Mental Health and Crisis Response

Guidebook/Tool | 2023

Law Enforcement Response to People with Developmental Disabilities: Steps for Deflection or Pre-Arrest Diversion

  • Community Trust and Partnerships
  • Mental Health and Crisis Response

Guidebook/Tool | 2023

Rethinking the Police Response to Mental Health-Related Calls: Promising Models

  • Community Trust and Partnerships
  • Mental Health and Crisis Response

Report | 2023

Evaluating the Utility of Sobering Centers: Analyses of Police and Sobering Centers Across Five Jurisdictions

  • Crime and Violence Response
  • Community Trust and Partnerships
  • Mental Health and Crisis Response
  • Stops, Searches, and Arrests

Guidebook/Tool, Report, Research Brief | 2023

Assessing the Impact of Crisis Intervention Teams

  • Community Trust and Partnerships
  • Mental Health and Crisis Response
  • Use of Force

Empowering Law Enforcement Excellence

A Beacon of Guidance at the National Law Enforcement Knowledge Lab

Explore targeted areas such as crime and violence reduction, use of force accountability and early intervention, and recruitment and retention. Elevate your agency's performance with our guidance and support.