Police Chief Magazine|Columns|From the Director
From The Director: Working Together to End the Violence

The Office on Violence Against Women (OVW) is a component of the U.S. Department of Justice that provides national leadership in responding to crimes of domestic violence, dating violence, sexual assault, and stalking. As part of this mission, the OVW administers financial and technical assistance to communities around the country to facilitate the creation of programs, policies, and practices aimed at addressing these crimes. For example, since 1997, the OVW has worked collaboratively with the IACP to provide critical training and technical assistance for law enforcement officers to respond to violence against women.

Domestic violence, dating violence, sexual assault, and stalking are complex crimes whose investigation requires the dedication and commitment of law enforcement officers around the country. The resources and the energy that officers have dedicated to this cause continue to make a difference in the lives of thousands of women each day. October is designated as National Domestic Violence Awareness Month, and it affords us a unique opportunity to assess how far the United States has come in combating violence against women while creating safer communities.

In recognition of the severity of these crimes, Congress passed the Violence Against Women Act (VAWA) as part of the Violent Crime Control and Law Enforcement Act of 1994. VAWA authorized several grant programs designed to help states, local governments, and nonprofit organizations combat violent crimes against women.

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From the Attorney General: Making America Safe Again

In recent years, America has experienced a troubling surge in violent crime across the country—especially in urban centers. From carjackings to retail smash-and-grabs to open-air drug markets, the h...
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From the Director: The Power of Ballistic Data

On April 21, 2024, after completing his shift, off-duty Chicago, Illinois, Police Department (CPD) Officer Luis Huesca was shot and killed during an alleged attempted carjacking. The suspect fled, tak...
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From the Director: Body Armor Standards Updated to Better Protect Those in the Line of Fire

A little over a decade ago, Officer Ann Carrizales of the Stafford Police Department in Fort Bend County, Texas, was shot in the face and chest at extremely close range by a suspect she was pursuing. ...
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From the Director: The Challenge of AI to Global Policing

As we stand at the dawn of a new era in policing, artificial intelligence (AI) presents both unprecedented opportunities and profound challenges for law enforcement agencies around the globe. The rapi...
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From the Administrator: A Shared Mission to Save Lives

Today, people in the United States are experiencing the most devastating drug crisis in U.S. history. It is like nothing we have seen before. In 2022, in the United States, 110,757 people died from a ...
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From the Director: On-the-Ground Response to Victims and Survivors of Mass Shootings

Recent massacres like those in Uvalde, Texas, and Buffalo, New York, leave families in grief, communities traumatized, victim service providers overwhelmed, and a nation reckoning with a sense of vuln...
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From the Principal Deputy AAG: Supporting Law Enforcement Safety and Wellness

The dangers faced by law enforcement personnel are too often reduced in the public eye to the dramatic moments of a high-risk encounter. Once the immediate physical threat has passed, officers are som...
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From the Director: Harnessing the Power of Data-Driven, Inclusive Research

“We don’t need any data. We already know all about what cops do in our community.” The woman’s words were met with nods and murmurs of agreement....
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From the Director: Going Farther Together

There is an old African proverb that states, “If you want to go fast—go alone. If you want to go far—go together.” The Bureau of Justice Assistance (BJA) has had the great privilege and honor ...
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From the Associate Attorney General: Supporting Law Enforcement’s Anti-Human Trafficking Work

Human trafficking is a crime that exploits and endangers some of the most vulnerable members of our society and causes immeasurable physical and psychological harm. Both labor and sex trafficking i...
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