Fact Sheet • 1

Throughout the country, public safety 

officers watch over our neighborhoods 

and work to make communities safer. BJA 

respects these officers’ devotion and their 

willingness to place themselves in danger 

to protect our nation’s citizens. We owe 

these officers, their families, and their 

agencies a tremendous debt of gratitude. 

BJA is proud to administer its officer safety 

portfolio, which provides law enforcement 

executives and their officers with resources 

in tactical training and overall wellness. 

Through these programs, it is BJA’s 

hope that line officers, law enforcement 

executives, and other stakeholders will be 

able to access the information and tools 

they need to increase their knowledge of 

and capacity for officer safety. 

Officer Safety Initiatives

By Steven Edwards, Ph.D., BJA Senior Policy Advisor, and 

Deborah Meader, BJA Policy Advisor

A National Concern

Every line-of-duty death is tragic. Every line-of-duty injury is concerning. In recent years, our 

nation has observed a shocking increase in felonious assaults on officers. Over the past 

decade, there has been an average of 58,930 assaults a year on officers, resulting in 15,404 

injuries.1 Regrettably, on average, one law enforcement death occurs every 60 hours.2

Each loss of a hero in law enforcement results in longstanding ramifications for the 

family and law enforcement agency survivors, and each loss chips away at the public’s 

confidence in the safety of our communities. Protecting our officers is imperative—

it requires a holistic approach that prepares officers through tactical training and 

continues to promote and maintain officers’ mental, emotional, and physical health.

The safety of our nation’s officers is a top priority for the U.S. Department of Justice. In 

2011, the Attorney General released the Officer Safety Toolkit to share resources with 

federal, state, local, and tribal law enforcement leaders in an effort to promote officer 

safety. These resources include training, deconfliction services, and funding information. 

Since its release, thousands of print and electronic copies have been distributed. It is 

available online at www.valorforblue.org.

Officer Safety Resources for Law Enforcement Leaders

The Bureau of Justice Assistance (BJA) is committed to officer safety. It has coordinated 

with the National Institute of Justice, the Office of Community Oriented Policing Services 

(COPS Office), federal law enforcement agencies, and national police organizations 

to develop a comprehensive officer safety portfolio to provide state, local, and tribal 

governments with quality training, technical assistance, and resources that assist law 

enforcement leaders in their efforts to (1) prevent violent encounters and train their 

officers to survive them, if they occur; (2) provide critical information to improve officers’ 

awareness of potentially violent situations and their ability to respond appropriately 

to critical events; (3) identify potential danger and shield their officers from injury; (4) 

reduce overall violence in their communities; (5) bring greater awareness, leadership, 

and focus to improving officers’ health and wellness; and (6) support their officers, their 

officers’ families, and their agencies and communities if a tragic event does occur.

The resources described below are available to all law enforcement agencies online at 

www.bja.gov/ProgramDetails.aspx?Program_ID=103.

U.S. Department of Justice

Office of Justice Programs

Bureau of Justice Assistance

NCJ 249184 • UPDATED SEPTEMBER 2015

continued on p. 2

MESSAGE FROM THE DIRECTOR

KEY POINTS

• The Attorney General’s Officer Safety 

Toolkit shares resources with federal, 

state, local, and tribal law enforcement 

leaders to promote officers’ safety. It can 

be accessed at www.valorforblue.org.

• Through BJA’s comprehensive officer 

safety programs, state, local, and 

tribal law enforcement executives and 

officers receive quality training, technical 

assistance, and resources to help them 

prepare for and prevent violent attacks.

• These officer safety programs are 

designed to assist law enforcement 

leaders in:

1 National Law Enforcement Officers Memorial Fund, “Law Enforcement Facts,” obtained September 25, 2015, 

from www.nleomf.org/facts/enforcement/. 

2 Ibid.
2 • Fact Sheet

Preventing, Surviving, and Responding to Violent Encounters

VALOR

www.valorforblue.org 

BJA’s Preventing Violence Against Law Enforcement and Ensuring Officer Resilience 

and Survivability (VALOR) Program is a U.S. Attorney General initiative that provides, 

through BJA, training and technical assistance as well as detailed analyses of past 

attacks on officers to state, local, and tribal law enforcement professionals throughout 

the nation. VALOR examines violent encounters to determine what happened, how the 

incidents may have been prevented, and what skills officers will need to better survive 

similar attacks.

VALOR offers web-based and in-person training and resources. Officers learn about 

“The Deadly Mix” framework (the officer, the offender, and the circumstances that 

brought them together) and learn techniques for identifying possibly armed subjects 

and recognizing indicators that a violent attack may be imminent. They also learn 

about emerging threats, and de-escalating potentially threatening encounters. To date, 

the program has trained thousands of officers and interviewed more than 200 officers 

involved in events where shots were fired. The program also creates outreach materials 

and revises training curricula so that all VALOR trainings are current and reflect realworld scenarios.

Advanced Law Enforcement Rapid Response Training 

www.alerrt.org or www.bja.gov/ProgramDetails.aspx?Program_ID=106

The Advanced Law Enforcement Rapid Response Training (ALERRT) Program, 

administered by Texas State University (TSU) in partnership with BJA, prepares officers to 

safely and effectively handle active-shooter situations. Since 2002, ALERRT has trained 

nearly 60,000 law enforcement professionals throughout the nation. In 2012, BJA’s 

VALOR Program partnered with TSU and the Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI) to 

continue to provide this training nationally. 

Destination Zero 

www.nleomf.org/programs/destination-zero

BJA, under VALOR and its partnership with the National Law Enforcement Officers 

Memorial Fund, launched Destination Zero to examine and highlight officer safety and 

wellness programs that law enforcement agencies have implemented. The goal is to 

highlight programs that could serve as models for other agencies seeking to implement 

similar programs. As a part of Destination Zero, the National Officer Safety and 

Wellness awards are presented in conjunction with National Police Week. Agencies 

with successful and/or promising officer safety and wellness programs may apply to be 

considered for an award under one of four categories: General Officer Safety, Officer 

Traffic Safety, Officer Wellness, and Most Comprehensive Program that was Strategically 

Implemented.

Center for Task Force Leadership and Integrity

www.ctfli.org 

The Center for Task Force Leadership and Integrity (CTFLI) is an online training and 

resource center. CTFLI’s restricted-access web site addresses the various needs of law 

enforcement officers, commanders, and executive leaders involved in the administration 

and operation of task forces on officer safety, operations planning, risk management, 

and other topics.

Prevention of Violence Against the Police

www.theiacp.org/violenceagainstthepolice

BJA, in partnership with the International Association of Chiefs of Police (IACP), supports 

the Prevention of Violence Against the Police program to address how felonious assaults 

against law enforcement can be prevented. The program develops and disseminates 

resources and information to assist in preventing violence against law enforcement.

(1) Preventing violent encounters, and 

teaching their officers how to survive 

violent encounters if they occur.

(2) Providing critical information on how 

to improve officers’ awareness of 

situations they may encounter and how 

to respond appropriately to critical 

events.

(3) Identifying potential danger and 

shielding their officers from injury.

(4) Reducing overall violence in their 

communities. 

(5) Bringing greater awareness, 

leadership, and focus to improving 

officers’ health and wellness.

(6) Supporting their officers, their families, 

and their agencies should a tragic 

event occur.

• Information about programs listed 

in this fact sheet can be accessed 

at www.bja.gov/ProgramDetails.

aspx?Program_ID=103.

KEY POINTS (cont.)
Fact Sheet • 

3

RISSafe

www.riss.net/Resources/RISSafe 

RISSafe is a nationwide law enforcement deconfliction system designed to ensure officers 

remain safe during planned police operations, such as raids or undercover operations. 

Without this deconfliction, the potential for conflicts increases between agencies or officers 

unknowingly working in close proximity to each other, which may interfere with cases or, 

worse, create a situation where officers or citizens could be unintentionally hurt or killed. 

RISSafe is accessible 24/7/365 and is available to all law enforcement agencies. Since 

its inception, over one million operations have been entered and more than 341,000 

conflicts have been identified. Currently, 29 RISSafe Watch Centers are operational, 21 

of which are operated by organizations other than Regional Information Sharing Systems 

(RISS), such as fusion centers and High Intensity Drug Trafficking Areas (HIDTAs).

Shielding Officers from Injury and Promoting Wellness 

Bulletproof Vest Partnership

www.ojp.gov/bvpbasi

The Bulletproof Vest Partnership (BVP) Program assists law enforcement agencies 

in acquiring soft body armor for their personnel. Bullet- and stab-resistant vests are 

instrumental to officer survival. Law enforcement should never have to police our 

communities without the protection of a bullet-resistant vest. Body armor has saved 

the lives of more than 3,000 officers. BJA provides funds to state, local, and tribal 

jurisdictions to help purchase vests. In support of the Attorney General’s Officer Safety 

Initiative and the Mandatory Wear Policy requirement for the BVP Program, IACP, in 

partnership with BJA, can provide its Body Armor Model Policy and position paper at no 

cost. Jurisdictions must first be registered with the BVP Program. 

Reducing Officer Injuries: Developing Policy Responses

www.theiacp.org/reducingofficerinjuryproject 

Funded by BJA, the Reducing Officer Injuries project worked to identify and document 

the causes and magnitude of officers’ injuries as well as bring awareness to the 

importance of officer wellness. A first-of-its-kind study reviewed all officer injuries 

occurring within 18 participating agencies over a one-year period, and made policy 

and training recommendations based on the findings. The project provides training 

and information on how agencies can track their officers’ injuries and use the data to 

determine the need for policy or procedural changes to help reduce officer injuries. 

Additionally, the project brings awareness to wellness topics such as the importance of 

nutrition by providing resources that law enforcement can use to improve wellness.

Blue Courage 

www.bluecourage.com

Blue Courage is a transformational process that focuses on the personal development of 

law enforcement. Law enforcement is a physically, mentally, and emotionally demanding 

profession. It is imperative that officers have resources to help them be aware of and 

manage these demands. Blue Courage addresses personal challenges many officers 

face, such as issues with cynicism, identity, judgment, integrity, leadership, and stress 

management. It provides a two-day leadership development workshop designed for 

all levels within an agency that addresses topics such as nobility of policing, respect, 

foundations of courage, practical wisdom, and health and wellness.

Officer Safety and Wellness Group 

www.cops.usdoj.gov/Default.asp?Item=2603

The Officer Safety and Wellness Group, a partnership between COPS and BJA, focused 

on reducing officer deaths and addressing officer wellness issues. It held several 

meetings to discuss and contribute to the creation of officer safety and wellness tools 

and resources. It encourages adoption of cultures of safety and wellness in our nation’s 

law enforcement agencies. Topics discussed included: Officer Deaths and Injuries 

from Gunfire, Psychological Health and Suicide, Leadership and Creating a Culture of 

Wellness, and Motor Vehicle Operations and Reducing Officer Deaths and Injuries.
4 • Fact Sheet

CONTACT US

Bureau of Justice Assistance

Office of Justice Programs

810 Seventh Street NW.

Fourth Floor

Washington, DC 20531

Phone: 202–616–6500 

Contact Us: www.bja.gov/contactus.aspx

Web site: www.bja.gov

*NCJ~249184*

Supporting Officers, Their Survivors, and Their Agencies

The Executive Sessions on Police Leadership for the 21st Century

The Executive Sessions on Police Leadership for the 21st Century is a series of meetings 

hosted by BJA, the Police Executive Research Forum (PERF), and St. Petersburg College 

(Florida) to discuss cultural changes happening in law enforcement. Law enforcement 

leaders discuss how to create a culture of safety within their organizations that 

encompasses tactical fitness as well as their officers’ mental and physical health 

and wellness.

The BJA Executive Session on Police Leadership 

www.bjaexecutivesessiononpoliceleadership.org

The BJA Executive Session on Police Leadership was created to develop new thinking 

to help create police leaders uniquely qualified to meet the challenges of a changing 

public safety landscape. This effort engaged experienced police chiefs in documenting 

their own paths and invited leaders to participate in various audio and video forums to 

tell their stories and discuss the future of policing and police leadership.

Challenges examined for tomorrow’s leaders included: Collaboration and Trust, 

Community Building, Organization of the Future – integrated model, Work of Policing 

(eight discussion videos), Leadership Development, Experiential Learning – The Learner’s 

Marketplace (with topics including health and wellness), and Training.

In Harm’s Way: Law Enforcement Suicide Prevention

http://policesuicide.spcollege.edu

In Harm’s Way focuses on law enforcement suicide prevention training and support. 

It aims to decrease suicide among law enforcement by increasing the probability that 

officers contemplating suicide will seek help from mental health professionals. It provides 

training and resources for officers and agencies. Examples of resources include a law 

enforcement suicide prevention toolkit with downloadable templates of materials to 

assist in presenting a suicide prevention training in an agency, reducing the stigma of 

requesting help, and encouraging officers to support one another.

Preventing Law Enforcement Officer Suicide

To order CD–ROM: https://ncjrs.gov/App/Publications/Abstract.aspx?ID=246399

Preventing Law Enforcement Officer Suicide is a CD–ROM developed by IACP, with BJA 

support, that provides information regarding suicide prevention, including guidance for 

agencies on how to develop an officer suicide prevention program.

A Guide to Occupational Health and Safety for Law Enforcement Executives

www.bja.gov/publications/perf_le_occhealth.pdf

A Guide to Occupational Health and Safety for Law Enforcement Executives stresses the 

importance of providing occupational health and safety programs in law enforcement 

agencies. The result of a collaboration between BJA and PERF, this guide suggests a 

three-step approach for police executives to use when establishing health and wellness 

programs.

Public Safety Officers’ Benefits

www.psob.gov 

A unique effort of the U.S. Department of Justice; local, state, tribal, and federal public 

safety agencies; and national organizations, the Public Safety Officers’ Benefits (PSOB) 

Program provides death and education benefits to survivors of fallen law enforcement 

officers, firefighters, and other first responders, as well as disability benefits to officers 

catastrophically injured in the line of duty. The BJA PSOB Office is honored to review 

the claims submitted on behalf of our nation’s fallen and catastrophically disabled public 

safety heroes and their loved ones.