Cross-Disciplinary Training/Cooperation

Cross-Disciplinary Training and Cooperation

One of the key reasons that drove the formation of PAPSI was the need to cooperate across disciplines and thus to create training and education programs that help students and professional gain the skills and knowledge to work across disciplines in a wide variety of situations. This section attempts to provide some ideas for doing that.

1. Response to Targeted Violence Incidents

In August 2015, the InterAgency Board (IAB) released the White Paper “Interagency Law Enforcement, Fire, and Emergency Medical Services during Active Shooter/Hybrid Targeted Violence Incidents” (PDF, 444 Kb) to aid jurisdictions in implementing integrated emergency services response to high-threat events. These include active shooter and the “lone wolf” attacks. This White Paper aims to help agencies move away from the “traditional linear ‘stove-piped’ single-agency response” which is ineffective in such events. Boundaries between agencies and gaps in responsibilities can be exploited. The IAB promotes cross-disciplinary training and interoperable language and procedures in addition to good plans and relationships between agencies.

Traditionally, fire and EMS have been kept out of the “hot zone” of an active event of this type. This is changing; it is understood now the real threat to fire and EMS personnel is not very high. Getting medically-trained people to provide victim care as quickly as possible saves lives and enables law enforcement to focus on clearing the scene and starting the investigation.

In its recommendations for policy makers, the IAB expands on the concepts of this type of response, covers the changes in response after the Columbine High School shooting in 1999, discusses Tactical Emergency Casualty Care (TECC), and suggests departments and leaders who should be involved in the planning and organization process.

Click Report to read more

2. Developing a Cyberattack Curriculum To Improve Emergency Response

A pilot version of a new course was offered for the first time in January to Utah's state government and emphasizes the need for cross-disciplinary cooperation. The course is meant to provide a better understanding of how traditional emergency operations staff, and their IT counterparts, can most effectively work together in the event that a cyber attack harms critical infrastructure, or has other physical consequences. More information is on our Technology page

3. IdentityTheft.gov Helps First Responders Help ID Theft Victims‏

By Nat Wood, Associate Director, Division of Consumer & Business Education, Federal Trade Commission

The Department of Justice’s most recent statistics show that identity theft affected an estimated 17.6 million victims in the United States in 2014, representing 7% of all residents over the age of 16. Given the numbers, the chances are that law enforcement is seeing identity theft victims with increasing frequency.

When law enforcement meets them, these crime victims may have just discovered that someone appropriated their most personal information, possibly to get a credit card, open a store account, claim their tax refund, or collect their Social Security benefits.

They need to act fast to regain control over their finances. They have to clear their credit, close fraudulent accounts, check their credit reports and account statements, contact government agencies, and take other steps, depending on the type of identity theft that occurred. Most likely, they don’t know where to begin.

“Local law enforcement is often the first place identity theft victims turn for help,” said Mary Gavin, Chief of Police for Falls Church, Virginia, and an Executive Committee member of the IACP, which has joined forces with the FTC to encourage law officers to use IdentityTheft.gov to engage with and assist identity theft victims. Why? Because IdentityTheft.gov offers immediate help to victims, aids law enforcement, and can be part of a community policing initiative that can help build community trust. Read more...

4. Agents and Analysts Training Together

The FBI has begun training new special agents and intelligence analysts together so that they graduate from the FBI Academy and begin their first assignments fully prepared for collaborative work in the field thanks to an innovative training program launched in 2015.

Dubbed the Basic Field Training Course (BFTC), the new program offers an integrated curriculum that places new agent and intelligence analyst trainees together in a squad-like environment—the way agents and analysts work in actual FBI field offices. During the course, trainees learn skills like conducting investigations, interviewing, and providing briefings. Their academic training culminates with criminal and counterterrorism exercises modeled after real-world scenarios.

“The BFTC serves as an important element of our continued efforts to improve collaboration throughout the organization,” said Mark Morgan, assistant director of the Bureau’s Training Division. “From their first days in the FBI, special agents and intelligence analysts sit side-by-side, wear the same uniforms, and learn the necessity of working as a single, integrated, cohesive team. This is an exciting shift in the way we do things.”

ATF began a similar approach about 20 years ago by having new agents and compliance inspectors trained together. More agencies need to consider similar training approaches to reflect actually job situations or desired collaborative environments.

5. Building Regional Police Collaboration:
A Different Perspective Based on Lessons Learned

By Mike Masterson and Eugene Smith, M.S. in FBI Bulletin, Jan. 2016

This article discusses the use of mutual aid agreements that are more than just processes and procedures for responding to disasters or emergencies once they have happened. Such agreements are an essential component of deterrence and prevention. When mutual aid agreements are used as proactive vehicles, their utility is vastly expanded and, some should argue, is even more valuable than their response capabilities. Local law enforcement agencies that work closely together to identify regional threats, share intelligence, and work constructively with private sector entities and other governmental agencies are more likely to prevent an emergency or disaster.Read More

6. Working with Schools: Police Mentoring

The Hollywood, Florida, Police Department (HPD) uses mentoring to show that it values the development of its community’s youth. The department established its Cops Mentoring Kids program during the 2015-2016 academic year.Collaboration proves necessary to resolve community issues.

HPD asked every public elementary school to identify at-risk students who could benefit from the program. The schools selected troublesome young people who needed attention and struggled most due to problems, ranging from poor parenting to homelessness. At-risk youth appear less likely to have mentors, but more likely to want them. This link provides details.