What the Judge Ate for Breakfast

Crime researchers say crimes such as shootings in Binghampton, N.Y., increase as the economy declines. Experts urge police and communities to plan how they will respond, before something happens.

Frank DiMarino, dean of the School of Criminal Justice at Kaplan University, offers 10 tips for police to prepare for such “psychological offenses.”

1. Build strong bonds with the community, so that when a person with emotional instability is identified, the public feels confident in approaching authorities about their concerns.
2. Educate government offices and larger businesses in the same or similar tactics as in School shootings where a lockdown procedure is planned and practiced. Local law enforcement could provide the training.
3. Increase information sharing and collaboration among state and local communities, educators, mental health officials, and law enforcement to better provide care and detect, intervene, and respond to potential incidents of violence in the community.
4. Police departments need to create a point of entry for people in the community to contact them when they think a relative or friend is in trouble. Establish an alliance with the local or county-level mental health authority so that police can refer those who are at-risk. Determine what the police can and cannot do when confronted with an emotionally unstable person, or when such a person is reported to them, i.e. voluntary and involuntary commitment procedures.
5. Dispatchers should receive specialized training to obtain as much tactical information as possible when an active shooting is called in by victims or witnesses so they may help police in their handling of the situation.
6. Police departments, regardless of size, should be prepared to meet armed resistance from an individual who is committed to inflicting harm to a large number of people. Rapid Response training should be provided, and the necessary weaponry should be available, so as to not be in a disadvantage to the offender. The police department should also offer “Situational Awareness” training for all interested citizens. People who are trained to watch their surroundings and pick up on nuances that are out of place could aid the police early on with identifying suspicious activity.
7. Encourage and support police officers to pursue education in psychology courses that can prepare them to navigate complex murder and suicidal offenders. The law enforcement community can encourage professionals to take courses that help them handle these incidents and improve their performance in the everyday life of being an officer. Courses could include forensic psychology, abnormal psychology, psychology for law enforcement, crisis intervention, juvenile psychology, deviance & violence, and family & domestic violence.
8. Make it attractive to recruit and retain police officers with at least two years of college or a bachelor’s degree. Research shows that higher educated police officers are less inclined to use force, utilize complex problem solving strategies, and have a greater understanding of the community for which they serve.
9. Assure that your state or local law enforcement department is receiving its share of $2 billion from the Justice Assistance Grants administered through the United States Department of Justice. These funds can be used to hire additional sworn officers and civilian employees, to train them how to respond to potential violent situations and support citizens in trouble, as well as to purchase equipment and supplies.
10. Review the procedures for entering accurate information into the National Instant Criminal Background Check System (NICS) to assure that persons who legally ineligible to purchase firearms are accurately identified. Information such as mental competency and civil orders regarding mental health may prevent persons from purchasing firearms if their background check reveals ineligibility.