One of the most challenging things law enforcement executives face within their communities is violent crime.

By its very nature, violent crime has a traumatic and widespread impact, affecting the victims, the officers who respond, and the community as a whole. Effectively preventing and responding to violent crime is even more challenging when that violent crime takes the form of a mass casualty event.

Responding to an incident of mass violence can often overwhelm an agency by the sheer magnitude of actions required. Incidents of mass violence pose myriad unique challenges to law enforcement agencies and executives who then have to instantly address a new and wide array of competing demands, such as securing the scene, investigating the crime, working with the media on a national scale, aiding the victims and their families, responding to elected officials, securing critical infrastructure, and providing support to both their officers and to community members as they address the aftermath of a tragic event.

Over the last several years, the IACP has convened task forces on targeted violence and on active threats. These task forces met with police leaders from around the globe, researching ways that law enforcement agencies could prevent, mitigate, and effectively respond to incidents of mass violence. The overall recommendations from these efforts can be found on the IACP website. However, one key theme that was echoed by police leaders who have, unfortunately, been involved in a mass casualty incident was how overwhelming the incidents are for their agencies and for themselves as leaders. They all expressed the wish that they had the ability to consult with other law enforcement executives who had been through an incident of mass violence in their community, so that they could learn from them, avoid mistakes, and help ensure that both they and their agencies were taking the right steps.

It is for that very reason that the IACP, in conjunction with the U.S. Department of Justice, Bureau of Justice Assistance (BJA), has launched the Mass Violence Advisory Initiative (MVAI). The initiative will help provide peer‐to‐peer assistance for law enforcement leaders at the onset of a mass violence event to maximize the safety and wellness of the community, officers, other first responders.

The Mass Violence Peer-to-Peer Advisory Team will comprise a group of subject matter experts (SMEs) who can provide immediate and ongoing assistance, information, and resources at no cost to help law enforcement leaders respond and their communities heal in the aftermath of a mass violence incident. This team will be composed of law enforcement professionals such as police chiefs, sheriffs, and public information officers with experience leading their agencies through a mass violence incident.

Peer‐to‐peer assistance will include virtual and in‐person assistance to law enforcement agencies based on their need at the onset of an incident of mass violence. Agencies will gain direct access to SMEs who will help guide them through any questions they may have, share experiences, and provide ongoing guidance after a mass violence event occurs. The type of services that may be provided include assisting leaders with incident management; public information strategies; criminal investigation considerations; and long-term health and wellness of victims, witnesses, first responders, and the community.

The MVAI initiative will also develop guidance around the following: managing agency response, communicating with the media and addressing the public, coordinating with local community resources and volunteers, collaborating with victim service personnel to support victims and their families, and officer wellness. In addition, leaders will soon have access to specialized resources, such as guidebooks, checklists, and toolkits to assist them in the aftermath of an incident.

Over the coming months, the IACP MVAI team will build a cadre of community, faith-based, psychological services, and other SMEs to enhance this effort. Through a trauma-informed approach, the team will provide ongoing assistance, information, and resources to help law enforcement and communities respond to a mass casualty event, prosecute the involved individuals, promote community healing, and ensure overall officer and community safety and wellness.

Please cite as

Dwight E. Henninger, “Violent Crime and Incidents of Mass Violence,” President’s Message, Police Chief 88, no. 11 (November 2021): 6–7.