So far this year, you have expressed the need for greater clarity and detail in our solicitations, including providing an explanation for terms that could otherwise be interpreted differently than they were intended (e.g., the term "tactical" could mean different things to different people). I've also heard feedback on some of our solicitations that "rolled up" related activities into one award, as opposed to soliciting independently for component parts and requiring that these components be coordinated, with the latter approach offering more opportunities for competition to a greater number of organizations.

FY 2011 may very well be another busy year with many new solicitations and program development activities. Additionally, a number of system improvements are possible, offering greater ability for you to take part in collaboration and discussions with us and, through OJP, provide you with the next generation of tools, such as an enhanced Grants Management System in future years.

With that said, now is a great time to send us your feedback on how we did in the FY 2010 cycle. Not only do we value your comments, we put them to use and follow-up to make sure we understand exactly what you are looking for. Getting feedback from those who we are here to serve is inherent in our public service roles and it is also one of Assistant Attorney General Laurie Robinson's top priorities, which we share. I look forward to hearing from you.

Reply to Note

Advanced Science And Technology Adjudication Resource Center (ASTAR) (June 21, 2010)
Last week, I had the opportunity to talk to more than 50 State Chief Justices and State Supreme Court Justices, as well as federal, state, and local Appellate Judges and Trial Court Judges who met at the National Institutes of Health (NIH) in Bethesda, Maryland, through a BJA-funded program known as the Advanced Science And Technology Adjudication Resource Center (ASTAR), headquartered in Washington, DC.

ASTAR's is intended to identify, recruit, train, and deploy science and technology resource judges who together form a group of jurists and experts that possess advanced understanding of key scientific areas affecting American courts. These judges were gathered at NIH to hear from the some of the world's leading experts on the human genome, or the complete set of DNA for humans, which can provide information on human risks for certain illnesses as well as information on risk of addiction, violence, and other criminogenic dispositions. In addition to bioscience and biotechnology, ASTAR also provides training to judges in information sciences and communications technologies, and materials and energy sciences. This training not only helps judges meet the standards of the "gatekeeper doctrine," which requires judges to assure valid scientific methodology underpins the proffered evidence, but allows judges to make better informed decisions to the benefit of the accused and to the community, including more strategic treatment requirements and sanctions.

In addition to supporting ASTAR, BJA has also provided support for Stetson University's College of Law, and several state agencies which provide similar training for defenders and prosecutors, particularly those involved in capital cases. Attending this event and spending time with these judges has caused us to think hard about how we can help to prepare justice professionals of the future. It is hard to imagine the types of technologies they may need to understand in order to ensure that the rule of law is maintained in a world where so much technological power and ability to change the world exists.

I encourage you to send us your thoughts on this training and how you think we can all help to prepare future generations of justice professionals.

Teaching Police Departments (June 8, 2010)
On June 2-3, I had the opportunity to spend a few days in Providence, Rhode Island, at a conference sponsored by BJA and the National Institute of Justice (NIJ). The conference, hosted by the Providence Police Department, concentrated generally on using innovative analysis of crime patterns and problems in order to focus efforts on preventing crime rather than simply responding to it. The conference discussions were tailored to the needs of medium- and smaller-sized law enforcement agencies, such as those with less than 50 officers.

During the conference, Colonel Dean Esserman, Chief of Police for Providence Police Department, spoke of an innovative idea to develop and test "Teaching Police Departments," based on the successful teaching hospital model used in the United States and abroad. Struck by the way senior physicians educate medical students (residents) in teaching hospitals, Chief Esserman believes this same model can be used in U.S. law enforcement agencies to better develop the next generation of law enforcement leaders.

While at the conference, I took the opportunity to interview Chief Esserman and Barney Melekian, the Director of DOJ's Office on Community-Oriented Policing Services (COPS Office), on the idea of the "Teaching Police Departments," during which Chief Esserman discussed the idea in more detail and Director Melekian talked about the role DOJ may play in further developing the idea. Stay tuned to BJA's web site for this forthcoming podcast interview

Circle of Respect (January 25, 2010)
On January 15, 2010 at the National Press Club here in Washington, DC, I had the opportunity to attend a webcast panel discussion and learn about an exciting campaign called The Circle of Respect, sponsored by our partners at the National Crime Prevention Council (NCPC). The Circle of Respect, according to NCPC, is designed to "inspire us to live in ways that embody respect where we live, learn, work, and play." To succeed in its mission, the Circle of Respect will feature an education campaign, outreach materials including publications and public service advertising, and partnership efforts to reach a national audience. Launching a national conversation around respect, online aggression, and their links to crime prevention, the Circle of Respect's first panel discussion focused on adolescent aggression and cyberbullying. In the future, the campaign will expand in scope to include harassment, vandalism, theft, dating violence, alcohol and other drug abuse, and other behavior in which issues of respect are paramount among young people and adults.

The Campaign's first panel discussion challenged listeners to discard traditional beliefs that bullying is a rite of passage and instead embrace the idea that respect and consideration for others is what we should expect and maybe even demand as a society. I found the discussion both intriguing and encouraging. What I found most intriguing was the panel's emphasis on adolescent girls and their involvement with cyberbullying. Surprisingly, young girls are both disproportionately victims of cyberbullying and disproportionately the cyberbullies according to the panelists. This news most certainly informed my understanding of adolescent aggression. I was also encouraged by the panel's willingness to raise awareness and mobilize people and communities to think critically about the link between respect and violence. Although the focus of the panel was online aggression, the discussion underscored the importance of linking respect to efforts to combat crime and achieve safe communities.

I want to thank and recognize NCPC for spearheading the campaign and holding steady on the course toward crime-free communities.

I encourage everyone to visit www.circleofrespect.org to find out more and to learn how you can become a champion or a sponsor of the Circle of Respect.

2010 Winter Industry Briefing (January 12, 2010)
Last week, the IJIS Institute hosted the 2010 Winter Industry Briefing at which I was honored to deliver the keynote presentation on Improving the Quality of Justice in America Using Technology. The IJIS Institute serves as the voice of industry by uniting the private and public sectors to improve mission critical information sharing for those who protect and serve our communities.

My message was intended to remind the more than 200 public and private industry participants who attended, that criminal justice professionals have an enormous impact on how people view the criminal justice system. And, these perceptions and attitudes of American citizens are critical to the legitimacy of the system and are essential to the co-production of public safety and security. Transparency, public trust, and confidence in the criminal justice system, therefore, become necessary elements to protecting citizens and ensuring the safety of communities.

I continued by highlighting that no one understands better than President Obama this connection between legitimacy of the system and public safety. President Obama has not only declared that his Administration will be the most transparent in history, but has also asked Executive departments to offer Americans increased opportunities to participate in policy making and to provide their Government with the benefits of their collective expertise and information; and, to cooperate among themselves, across all levels of Government, and with nonprofit organizations, businesses, and individuals in the private sector.

Working to improve the quality of the system, and seeking to implement the President's call to be transparent, engage communities, and to collaborate, BJA has been able to successfully harness the field - industry, community, and government - to leverage improved quality of justice.

Some of the efforts that have led to this success include:

• The Global Advisory Committee's leadership in ensuring the protection of privacy and civil liberties of our citizens through the use of (1) privacy policy templates to ensure consistency and provide accountability when managing sensitive information and (2) advanced privacy technologies to help enable automated privacy policy enforcement to ensure accountability.
• The National Information Exchange Model (NIEM) which is now in use across justice, public safety, homeland security, and emergency management domains as the standard for information exchange. This partnership of DOJ, DHS, and Global is unique in government, and demonstrates the common successes that can be achieved through collaboration with our state and local partners.
• The Global Federated Identity and Privilege Management (GFIPM) program that has enabled agencies to share information across jurisdictional boundaries in a low-cost way, such as the case with the CONNECT project, a multi-state consortium which allows Alabama, Kansas, Nebraska, and Wyoming to share disparate state data through a common information portal while requiring only a single existing login account.

Working together and with industry and technology, we can improve the quality of justice in America. I want to thank the IJIS Institute and all of our national partner organizations working in technology, for their partnership and commitment to justice.

School Crime and Safety (October 15, 2009)
This week BJA and Office of Justice Programs (OJP) staff met with officials from the U.S. Department of Education to discuss the issue of school crime and safety and how we can work together to ensure that schools are "safe zones" and centers of learning and growth that we count on them to be. Programs such as BJA's Gang Resistance Education And Training (G.R.E.A.T.) and the National Crime Prevention Council's (NCPC) Be Safe and Sound and other evidence-based strategies were on the list of topics. A few days ago, BJA and the International Association of Chiefs of Police (IACP) jointly made available the Guide for Preventing and Responding to School Violence, a publication compiled by IACP's Private Sector Liaison Committee with BJA funding. The 41-page Guide covers all aspects of school violence prevention, including the critical topics of prevention, community engagement, student engagement, threat assessment, legal considerations and working with the media.

Going forward, we will continue to explore opportunities to collaborate with other federal, state and local partners and our partners in the private and non-profit sectors on priorities such as preventing school and community violence. Using the latest evidence on what strategies are effective and leveraging resources within and outside of OJP and DOJ, we can fulfill the promise of safe and drug-free schools.

A busy time at BJA! (October 9, 2009)
The first week of October has been a busy week for all of us at BJA and the Office of Justice Programs. The BJA staff are returning from the International Association of Chiefs of Police (IACP) Conference in Denver, Colorado. At the conference, we shared the latest BJA updates and our vision for supporting evidence-based crime reduction efforts with the thousands of law enforcement executives in attendance. The September issue of Justice Today, our monthly e-newsletter, identifies some of the workshops we participated in at the Conference.

We also announced this week all of the competitive grant awards made during FY 2009. I encourage you to review the full listing of all BJA competitive and formula grant awards on our Funding page. As we close out FY 2009, we look forward to working in partnership with each of you in FY 2010.

Welcome to BJA's redesigned web site! (July 24, 2009)
Our goal is to keep you informed about the latest developments in the field, new initiatives, funding, upcoming training and conferences, and other opportunities. BJA is committed to providing the field with cutting edge information about what works and resources available to you.

We look forward to hearing from you, and welcome your comments on the new look of the web site, and suggestions for new or improved content.