Let me start by saying thank you to the numerous members of our association for the support and encouragement you have provided me along my journey to president of the International Association of Chiefs of Police. I would also like to thank our incredibly talented IACP staff for the work they conduct daily on behalf of our 22,000 members. They remain focused on our vision: Serving the Leaders of Today, Developing the Leaders of Tomorrow.

2014 has been a very challenging year for law enforcement across the globe. Our immediate past president Chief Yousry Zakhary has represented the IACP at a myriad of meetings, summits, and gatherings to present our collective voice regarding public safety issues. I am grateful for his sincere leadership of the IACP. I plan to continue the officer safety initiatives that both he and other past presidents have created with the hope of a building a safer working environment for our men and women.

I would now like to share with you my priorities during my term as president.

Cybercrime is a global threat to the economic and physical security of every nation we represent. It is the leading crime problem facing the world today and in the foreseeable future. Our law enforcement organizations must be prepared to recognize and investigate these crimes. The IACP will partner with several organizations to develop and provide our members with a comprehensive best practices guide to assist them with these complex investigations. We must also enhance the information and services available to individual victims of identity theft. They often face a daunting task of securing their personal information and rebuilding their reputations.

Tactical trauma care provides our law enforcement personnel with the training and medical equipment they need to save lives in the field. These medical kits should become standard issue in our respective organizations. These medical supplies have the potential to vastly increase survival rates during mass casualty events or other bodily trauma incidents.

Public Safety Officers Benefits Program (United States of America) provides death and education benefits to the survivors of fallen U.S. law enforcement officers, firefighters, and other first responders, as well as disability benefits to officers catastrophically injured in the line of duty. The IACP will partner with the Bureau of Justice Assistance to increase awareness of the program and provide training to better prepare U.S. public safety agencies to deal with the claims process. Our focus is providing assistance to the surviving families as quickly as possible.

Family is what matters most to me, which is why the cover of this month’s publication includes my daughter, Jillian, and my son, Gregory. They represent the fourth generation of my family to proudly wear a badge. I hope they find serving and protecting both honorable and fulfilling.

As we move into the next year, I am honored to lead the IACP family, and I look forward to working with all of you to enhance the safety and security of our communities. ♦

Please cite as:

Richard Beary, “The Year Ahead,” President’s Message, The Police Chief 81 (November 2014): 6.