Law enforcement is constantly evolving to meet the ever-changing needs of the average citizen. This video discusses one officer’s take on a shift that is needed in the relationship between police and the communities they serve and protect.

Recently passed legislation, the Safeguarding America’s First Responders Act of 2020, would improve financial assistance to families of first responders and public safety officers impacted by the COVID-19 pandemic. A press release announcing the passage of this new law reported that the International Association of Fire Chiefs estimated that more than 13,000 firefighters and other first responders have been exposed to COVID-19 while on the job and, according to the Fraternal Order of Police, 164 police officers have died in the line of duty due to COVID-19 as of July 27, 2020.

President Donald Trump announced Tuesday that he will nominate Acting Secretary of the Department of Homeland Security (DHS) Chad Wolf to permanently assume the role. Wolf has been acting secretary since November of 2019, and the department has been without a Senate-confirmed leader since Kirstjen Nielsen resigned in April of 2019.

Four defendants who were convicted for their roles in a dog fighting conspiracy recently received their prison sentences, according to a Department of Justice (DOJ) press release dated August 25, 2020.

U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services (USCIS) was planning on furloughing at least 13,000 employees at the end of this month due to budgetary shortfalls. On Tuesday, Joseph Edlow, the agency’s Deputy Director for Policy, announced the agency will have enough funding to maintain operations through the end of the year following Congressional pressure.

Chair of the Select Committee on the Modernization of Congress, Representative Derek Kilmer (D-WA), and Vice Chair of the Committee, Representative Tom Graves (R-GA), spoke to host Jason Briefel on this week’s episode of FEDtalk. Briefel also spoke with Congressional reform advocates Kevin Kosar of the R Street Institute and Daniel Schuman of Demand Progress.

The Third Circuit Court of Appeals recently held that an FBI notice identifying a suspect as armed and dangerous justified an officer’s demonstration of his weapon and use of handcuffs during Terry stop and frisk.

Do you have the physical capabilities it takes to become an FBI agent? Learn about some of the rigorous physical training that FBI agents endure before they can start their careers.

In today’s world, planning is essential. People are living longer and need a long-range care plan that can sustain them throughout their lifetime.

A bipartisan group of around 100 homeland and national security experts contributed to a report calling on the Department of Homeland Security (DHS) to restructure and refocus its priorities. They are calling for a shift in focus to nonmilitary threats such as the global pandemic, climate change, and cyber-attacks.

Congressman Fred Keller (R-PA) recently announced the creation of the bipartisan Bureau of Prisons (BOP) Reform Caucus. The BOP Caucus is meant to improve accountability and transparency, address systemic issues within the BOP system, and ensure the health and safety of corrections officers, staff, inmates, and the communities surrounding the prisons.

Alexander Yuk Ching Ma, 67, a former Central Intelligence Agency (CIA) officer who worked for the agency from 1982-1989, allegedly conspired with his relative, also a former CIA officer, to communicate classified information from the U.S. government to the People’s Republic of China (PRC). He was charged with conspiracy to communicate national defense information to aid a foreign government and faces a maximum penalty of life imprisonment if convicted.

Watch Border Patrol Search, Trauma, and Rescue (BORSTAR) agents from Tucson Sector Border Patrol conduct a rescue of three men in the Arizona desert. The men entered the country illegally and were treated for dehydration after the BORSTAR agents responded to their 9-1-1 call.

Three Muslims in Southern California subjected to surveillance by the FBI solely because of their religion brought suit against FBI Agents and the U.S. government for violating their constitutional rights. Among various other claims, they brought a private right of action for violations under the Foreign Intelligence Surveillance Act and violations of their Fourth Amendment rights under Bivens. They also sought the expungement of collected information and damages for the alleged unlawful surveillance.

On July 8, 2020, Attorney General William Barr announced the launch of Operation Legend, a law enforcement initiative that combines efforts of local and federal law enforcement to combat surges of violence across America. It began in Kansas City, MO and has now expanded to several other states that have seen a recent increase of violence.

The Department of Justice recently announced two high-profile indictments of public corruption.

A new interim final rule by the Office of Personnel Management (OPM) explains how agencies can restore annual leave for employees who are deemed essential during the COVID-19 pandemic. Currently, most federal employees can carry over 30 days of leave to the following year even if they accrue more. However, agencies can restore “use or lose” privileges in extenuating circumstances.

The Office of Personnel Management issued an interim final rule to implement the Federal Employee Paid Leave Act (FEPLA) amendment to the FY2020 National Defense Authorization Act (NDAA), which provides 12 weeks of paid parental leave to certain federal employees who are covered by the Family and Medical Leave Act (FMLA). The act covers parents who recently gave birth as well as those who are adopting or fostering a child.

On August 6, 2020, the United States Court of Appeals for the Federal Circuit affirmed a district court ruling that the federal judiciary has been charging unlawfully excessive fees for access to records through the Public Access to Court Electronic Records (PACER) system.

As the United States enters its fifth month of COVID-19-related shutdown in some form, the long-term behavioral impacts of the ‘new normal’ are beginning to appear. Recent studies and official guidance indicate that Americans are experiencing elevated levels of unhappiness and anxiety due to the ongoing pandemic.