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• Report on the 1st National Joint Union-Management Executive Symposium

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  From the Document: "From October 27-31, 2008, the 1st National Joint Police Union-Management Executive Symposium was held at Michigan State University. The symposium was sponsored by the School of Labor and Industrial Relations and the School of Criminal Justice from Michigan State University, and by the U.S. Department of Justice Office of Community Oriented Policing Services. The symposium brought together union and management leaders from law enforcement agencies across the United States along with representatives from Canada, Australia, and Turkey. The program included several issue-based content sessions as well as several skill-building sessions that helped participants to frame and understand the implications of key issues that affect both union and management. For these issues to be addressed most effectively, it is vital that both union representatives and management tackle them together. This report summarizes the presentations and discussions that took place during the symposium in order to provide police union and management leaders insights to help them work more effectively together."

  United States. Department of Justice. Office of Community Oriented Policing Services

  Polzin, Michael J.; Yantovsky, Tamara

  2010-06-08?
• Diagnostic Accuracy of Chest Computed Tomography Scans for Suspected Patients with COVID-19: Receiver Operating Characteristic Curve Analysis

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  From the Abstract: "Computed tomography (CT) scans are increasingly available in clinical care globally. They enable a rapid and detailed assessment of tissue and organ involvement in disease processes that are relevant to diagnosis and management, particularly in the context of the COVID-19 [coronavirus disease 2019] pandemic. [...] The aim of this paper is to identify differences in the CT scan findings of patients who were COVID-19 positive (confirmed via nucleic acid testing) to patients who were confirmed COVID-19 negative. [...] A retrospective cohort study was proposed to compare patient clinical characteristics and CT scan findings in suspected COVID-19 cases. [...] A total of 94 (56%) patients were confirmed positive for COVID-19 from the suspected 167 patients. We found that elderly people were more likely to be infected with COVID-19. Among the 94 confirmed positive patients, 2 (2%) patients were admitted to an intensive care unit. No patients died during the study period. We found that the presence, distribution, and location of CT lesions were associated with the presence of COVID-19. White blood cell count, cough, and a travel history to Wuhan were also the top predictors for COVID-19. [...] Taken together with nucleic acid testing, we found that CT scans can allow for the rapid diagnosis of COVID-19. This study suggests that chest CT scans should be more broadly adopted along with nucleic acid testing in the initial assessment of suspected COVID-19 cases, especially for patients with nonspecific symptoms." The original publication of this article can be found here: [http://publichealth.jmir.org/2020/4/e19424/].

  JMIR Publications

  Wu, Lianpin; Jin, Qike; Chen, Jie . . .

  2020-10-20
• Resurgence of Cyber Racism During the COVID-19 Pandemic and Its Aftereffects: Analysis of Sentiments and Emotions in Tweets

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  From the Abstract: "With increasing numbers of patients with COVID-19 [coronavirus disease 2019] globally, China and the World Health Organization have been blamed by some for the spread of this disease. Consequently, instances of racism and hateful acts have been reported around the world. When US President Donald Trump used the term 'Chinese Virus,' this issue gained momentum, and ethnic Asians are now being targeted. The online situation looks similar, with increases in hateful comments and posts. [...] The aim of this paper is to analyze the increasing instances of cyber racism during the COVID-19 pandemic, by assessing emotions and sentiments associated with tweets on Twitter. [...] The results suggest that the majority of the analyzed tweets were of negative sentiment and carried emotions of fear, sadness, anger, and disgust. There was a high usage of slurs and profane words. In addition, terms like 'China Lied People Died,' 'Wuhan Health Organization,' 'Kung Flu,' 'China Must Pay,' and 'CCP [Chinese Communist Party] is Terrorist' were frequently used in these tweets. [...] This study provides insight into the rise in cyber racism seen on Twitter. Based on the findings, it can be concluded that a substantial number of users are tweeting with mostly negative sentiments toward ethnic Asians, China, and the World Health Organization." The original publication of this article can be found here: [http://publichealth.jmir.org/2020/4/e19833/].

  JMIR Publications

  Dubey, Akash Dutt

  2020-10-15
• Trends and Predictors of COVID-19 Information Sources and Their Relationship with Knowledge and Beliefs Related to the Pandemic: Nationwide Cross-Sectional Study

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  From the Abstract: "During the COVID-19 [coronavirus disease 2019] pandemic, there is a heightened need to understand health information seeking behaviors to address disparities in knowledge and beliefs about the crisis. [...] This study assessed sociodemographic predictors of the use and trust of different COVID-19 information sources, as well as the association between information sources and knowledge and beliefs about the pandemic. [...] An online survey was conducted among US adults in two rounds during March and April 2020 using advertisement-based recruitment on social media. Participants were asked about their use of 11 different COVID-19 information sources as well as their most trusted source of information. The selection of COVID-related knowledge and belief questions was based on past empirical literature and salient concerns at the time of survey implementation. [...] COVID-19 information source was significantly determined by participant sociodemographic characteristics and was also associated with both knowledge and beliefs about the pandemic. Study findings can help inform COVID-19 health communication campaigns and highlight the impact of using a variety of different and trusted information sources."

  JMIR Publications

  Ali, Shahmir H.; Foreman. Joshua; Tozan, Yeșim, 1975- . . .

  2020-08-10
• Novel Approach to Support Rapid Data Collection, Management, and Visualization During the COVID-19 Outbreak Response in the World Health Organization African Region: Development of a Data Summarization and Visualization Tool

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  From the Abstract: "The COVID-19 [coronavirus disease 2019] pandemic has created unprecedented challenges to the systematic and timely sharing of COVID-19 field data collection and management. The World Health Organization (WHO) is working with health partners on the rollout and implementation of a robust electronic field data collection platform. The delay in the deployment and rollout of this electronic platform in the WHO African Region, as a consequence of the application of large-scale public health and social measures including movement restrictions and geographical area quarantine, left a gap between data collection and management. This lead to the need to develop interim data management solutions to accurately monitor the evolution of the pandemic and support the deployment of appropriate public health interventions. [...] The aim of this study is to review the design, development, and implementation of the COVID-19 Data Summarization and Visualization (DSV) tool as a rapidly deployable solution to fill this critical data collection gap as an interim solution. [...] We developed a rapidly deployable tool for COVID-19 data collection and visualization in the WHO African Region. The lessons drawn on this experience offer an opportunity to learn and apply these to improve future similar public health informatics initiatives in an outbreak or similar humanitarian setting, particularly in low- and middle-income countries." The original publication of this article can be found here: [http://publichealth.jmir.org/2020/4/e20355/].

  JMIR Publications

  Ahmed, Kamran; Bukhari, Muhammad Arish; Mlanda, Tamayi . . .

  2020-10-14
• Transmission Dynamics of the COVID-19 Epidemic at the District Level in India: Prospective Observational Study

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  From the Abstract: "On March 9, 2020, the first COVID-19 [coronavirus disease 2019] case was reported in Jodhpur, Rajasthan, in the northwestern part of India. Understanding the epidemiology of COVID-19 at a local level is becoming increasingly important to guide measures to control the pandemic. [...] The aim of this study was to estimate the serial interval and basic reproduction number (R0) to understand the transmission dynamics of the COVID-19 outbreak at a district level. We used standard mathematical modeling approaches to assess the utility of these factors in determining the effectiveness of COVID-19 responses and projecting the size of the epidemic.[...] The projected transmission reductions indicate that strengthening control measures could lead to proportionate reductions of the size of the COVID-19 epidemic. Time-dependent instantaneous R0 estimation based on the process by Jombart et al was found to be better suited for guiding COVID-19 response at the district level than overall R0 or instantaneous R0 estimation by the Wallinga and Teunis method. A data-driven approach at the local level is proposed to be useful in guiding public health strategy and surge capacity planning." The original publication of this article can be found here: [http://publichealth.jmir.org/2020/4/e22678/].

  JMIR Publications

  Saurabh, Suman; Verma, Mahendra Kumar; Gautam, Vaishali . . .

  2020-10-15
• Social Media as an Early Proxy for Social Distancing Indicated by the COVID-19 Reproduction Number: Observational Study

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  From the Abstract: "The magnitude and time course of the COVID-19 [coronavirus disease 2019] epidemic in the United States depends on early interventions to reduce the basic reproductive number to below 1. It is imperative, then, to develop methods to actively assess where quarantine measures such as social distancing may be deficient and suppress those potential resurgence nodes as early as possible. [...] We ask if social media is an early indicator of public social distancing measures in the United States by investigating its correlation with the time-varying reproduction number (Rt) as compared to social mobility estimates reported from Google and Apple Maps. [...] Our study demonstrates the potential use of Google Trends, Instagram, and Twitter as epidemiological tools in the assessment of social distancing measures in the United States during the early course of the COVID-19 pandemic. Their correlation and earlier rise and peak in correlative strength with Rt when compared to social mobility may provide proactive insight into whether social distancing efforts are sufficiently enacted. Whether this proves valuable in the creation of more accurate assessments of the early epidemic course is uncertain due to limitations. These limitations include the use of a biased sample that is internet literate with internet access, which may covary with socioeconomic status, education, geography, and age, and the use of subtotal social media mentions of social distancing." The original publication of this article can be found here: [http://publichealth.jmir.org/2020/4/e21340/].

  JMIR Publications

  Younis, Joseph; Freitag, Harvy; Ruthberg, Jeremy S. . . .

  2020-10-20
• How Health Care Workers Wield Influence Through Twitter Hashtags: Retrospective Cross-Sectional Study of the Gun Violence and COVID-19 Public Health Crises

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  From the Abstract: "Twitter has emerged as a novel way for physicians to share ideas and advocate for policy change. #ThisIsOurLane (firearm injury) and #GetUsPPE (COVID-19 [coronavirus disease 2019]) are examples of nationwide health care-led Twitter campaigns that went viral. Health care-initiated Twitter hashtags regarding major public health topics have gained national attention, but their content has not been systematically examined. [...] We hypothesized that Twitter discourse on two epidemics (firearm injury and COVID-19) would differ between tweets with health care-initiated hashtags (#ThisIsOurLane and #GetUsPPE) versus those with non-health care-initiated hashtags (#GunViolence and #COVID19). [...] Using natural language processing, we compared content, affect, and authorship of a random 1% of tweets using #ThisIsOurLane (Nov 2018-Oct 2019) and #GetUsPPE (March-May 2020), compared to #GunViolence and #COVID19 tweets, respectively. We extracted the relative frequency of single words and phrases and created two sets of features: (1) an open-vocabulary feature set to create 50 data-driven-determined word clusters to evaluate the content of tweets; and (2) a closed-vocabulary feature for psycholinguistic categorization among case and comparator tweets. In accordance with conventional linguistic analysis, we used a P

  JMIR Publications

  Ranney, Megan L.; Ojo, Ayotomiwa; Guntuku, Sharath Chandra . . .

  2021-06-01
• Human-Animal Interaction and the Emergence of SARS-CoV-2

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  From the Abstract: "The COVID-19 [coronavirus disease 2019] pandemic has affected all sectors of society, from health and economics to socialization and travel. The level and extent of this impact are unprecedented. Although the cause of COVID-19 was quickly identified to be a new coronavirus (SARS-CoV-2 [severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2]), the world was poorly prepared for preventing its spread. One important pillar of preparedness is surveillance of the sources of emerging pathogens and responding appropriately to prevent their spread in the human population. The ever-increasing interaction between humans and animals is one leading factor in facilitating the emergence of new pathogens. In this viewpoint, we discuss the possibility of the zoonotic origin of SARS-CoV-2, highlight the importance of understanding human-animal interaction to improve preparedness for future outbreaks, and outline recommendations for prevention."

  JMIR Publications

  Hassani, Asma; Khan, Gulfaraz

  2020-07-10
• Concerns and Misconceptions About the Australian Government's COVIDSafe App: Cross-Sectional Survey Study

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  From the Abstract: "Timely and effective contact tracing is an essential public health measure for curbing the transmission of COVID-19 [coronavirus disease 2019]. App-based contact tracing has the potential to optimize the resources of overstretched public health departments. [...] This study aimed to investigate the uptake of the Australian Government's COVIDSafe app among Australians and examine the reasons why some Australians have not downloaded the app. [...] An online national survey, with representative quotas for age and gender, was conducted between May 8 and May 11, 2020. Participants were excluded if they were a health care professional or had been tested for COVID-19. [...] [K]nowledge about COVIDSafe varied among participants, as some were confused about its purpose and capabilities. [...] For the COVIDSafe app to be accepted by the public and used correctly, public health messages need to address the concerns of citizens, specifically privacy, data storage, and technical capabilities. Understanding the specific barriers preventing the uptake of contact tracing apps provides the opportunity to design targeted communication strategies aimed at strengthening public health initiatives, such as downloading and correctly using contact tracing apps." The original publication of this article can be found here: [http://publichealth.jmir.org/2020/4/e23081/].

  JMIR Publications

  Thomas, Rae; Michaleff, Zoe A.; Greenwood, Hannah . . .

  2020-11-04
• Disaster Mitigation: Reducing Costs and Saving Lives, Hearing Before U.S. House of Representatives, Committee on Transportation and Infrastructure, Subcommittee on Economic Development, Public Buildings, and Emergency Management, One Hundred Thirteenth Congress, Second Session, April 3, 2014

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  This is from the April 3, 2014 hearing on "Disaster Mitigation: Reducing Costs and Saving Lives" held before the House Committee on Transportation and Infrastructure. From the opening statement of Lou Barletta: "Today's hearing will focus on disaster mitigation and what communities across the Nation can do to protect their homes and families and reduce their costs, particularly as it relates to floods. So, why are we having this hearing today and why focus on floods? Flooding is the number one natural disaster in the United States, costing the taxpayer, states, local communities, and individual homeowners and businesses billions of dollars every year. For example, in 2012 alone, the National Flood Insurance Program (NFIP) paid more than $7.7 billion in flood insurance claims. In 2012 and 2013 the Disaster Relief Fund spent nearly $800 million just on flood-only disasters, and spent more than $7 billion on disasters that involved heavy flooding from hurricanes and tropical storms. And the federal costs are only a portion of the total costs, including the costs to communities, individual homeowners and businesses. Floods cost lives, property and communities. To give some perspective, in the past five years, all 50 states have experienced floods or flash floods. In 2013, out of the 62 major disaster declarations across the Nation, more than 41 of them involved flooding." Statements, letters, and materials submitted for the record include those of the following: Lou Barletta, David Miller, Linda Langston, Bryan Koon, and Chad Berginnis.

  United States. Government Printing Office

  2014
• President's Fiscal Year 2014 Budget: Administration Priorities for the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency, Hearing Before the Subcommittee on Water Resources and Environment of the Committee on Transportation and Infrastructure, House of Representatives, One Hundred Thirteenth Congress, First Session, May 22, 2013

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  This is the May 22, 2013 hearing on "President's Fiscal Year 2014 Budget: Administration Priorities for the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency," held before the U.S. House Committee on Transportation and Infrastructure, Subcommittee on Water Resources and Environment. Discussion during the hearing included the Clean Water Act, Superfund (the program established to clean up the Nation's worst abandoned or uncontrolled hazardous waste sites), brownfields (former industrial or commercial properties that contain contaminated soil and possible groundwater), and oil spill responses. Statements, letters, and materials submitted for the record include those of the following: Mathy Stanislaus and Nancy K. Stoner.

  United States. Government Printing Office

  2014
• Overview of the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration Budget Request for Fiscal Year 2015, Hearing Before the Subcommitee on Environment of the Committee on Science, Space, and Technology, House of Representatives, One Hundred Thirteenth Congress, Second Session, April 30, 2014

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  This is the April 30, 2014 hearing entitled "An Overview of the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration Budget Request for Fiscal Year 2015" before the Subcommitee on Environment of the House Committee on Science, Space, and Technology. From the opening statement of subcommittee chairman David Schweikert: "NOAA's [National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration] 2015 budget request is $5.5 billion, which is an increase of, what, 3.3 percent from the 2014. Some of the questions that I believe you will be hearing today are going to revolve around the satellite program and continuing to increase as a percentage of your total budget. My understanding now is it will consume about 40 percent of NOAA's budget, and in the 2015 budget request, there is $2.2 billion for NOAA's satellite office. The two main satellite systems are the Joint Polar System--I think we refer to it as, what, JPSS--and the Geostationary Operational Environmental Satellite, the GOES. Two satellites provide up to 90 percent of the critical data needed to make our weather forecast. I would like some discussion, whether it be from questions or you, Dr. Sullivan. Is there going to be a gap and how will that gap be fulfilled? And are there--what optionality is there? Is there a private optionality and how long they expect a gap in that data? The second thing that I believe you will have multiple questions is in regards to the supercomputing power and the ability to manage the scale and the size of the data you have considering the current holds that are out there because of the contract with IBM and the sale to China." Statements, letters, and materials submitted for the record include those of the following: Kathryn Sullivan.

  United States. Government Printing Office

  2014
• SPF/HFAC Hearing: South China Sea Maritime Disputes, Hearing Before the Subcommittee on Seapower and Projection Forces of the Committee on Armed Services, U.S. House of Representatives, One Hundred Fourteenth Congress, Second Session, July 7, 2016

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  This testimony compilation is from the July 7, 2016 hearing on "SPF/HFAC [Seapower and Projection Forces/House Foreign Affairs Committee] Hearing: South China Sea Maritime Disputes" before a Subcommittee of the House Armed Services Committee. From the statement of Colin Willett, "The importance of the South China Sea to global commerce and regional stability cannot be overstated, with estimates of more than half the world's merchant fleet tonnage passing through these waters. The sea lines of communication are lifelines to the dynamic economies of Northeast Asia; the bulk of the energy supply for Japan, the Republic of Korea, and Taiwan pass through this body of water, as well as a significant amount of China's trade volume. The South China Sea also serves as an important transit route and operational theater for the U.S. and other regional militaries, including those of our allies and partners. It allows us to shift military assets between the Pacific to the Indian Ocean regions to respond efficiently to transnational challenges ranging from natural disasters to the outbreak of armed conflict." Statements, letters, and materials submitted for the record include those of the following: Abraham M. Denmark and Colin Willett.

  United States. Congress. House. Committee on Armed Services

  2016-07-07
• Subcommittee Markup - FY 2016 Energy and Water Appropriations Bill, Hearing Before the U.S. House of Representatives, Committee on Appropriations, Subcommittee on Energy and Water Development, and Related Agencies, One Hundred Fourteenth Congress, First Session, April 15, 2015

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  This testimony compilation is from the April 15, 2015 hearing on "Subcommittee Markup - FY 2016 Energy and Water Appropriations Bill," before the U.S. House of Representatives Committee on Appropriations. From the Opening Statement of Hal Rogers, "Today, we have before this subcommittee a bill appropriating funding for our nation's energy and water resources. This bill impacts nearly every community in every District across the country, so it always involves difficult choices. In my estimation, this legislation strikes an appropriate balance between our nation's many energy and water related priorities. This bill makes significant investments in energy research, nuclear security programs, and in critical infrastructure constructed and maintained by the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers. Through this legislation, this subcommittee supports the Corps' primary missions of flood mitigation and navigation, while also reaffirming the Corps' and Congress's commitment to recreation opportunities on our cherished natural resources. Additionally, this bill prioritizes investments in energy research and new technologies that will make energy production in this country safer, and more efficient. It also provides $8.7 billion to ensure the effectiveness of our nation's nuclear weapons stockpile."

  United States. Congress. House. Committee on Appropriations

  2015-04-15
• Cost-Effective Proactive Testing Strategies During COVID-19 Mass Vaccination: A Modelling Study

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  From the Webpage: "As SARS-CoV-2 [severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2] vaccines are administered worldwide, the COVID-19 [coronavirus disease 2019] pandemic continues to exact significant human and economic costs. Mass testing of unvaccinated individuals followed by isolation of positive cases can substantially mitigate risks and be tailored to local epidemiological conditions to ensure cost effectiveness. [...] Using a multi-scale model that incorporates population-level SARS-CoV-2 transmission and individual-level viral load kinetics, we identify the optimal frequency of proactive SARS-CoV-2 testing, depending on the local transmission rate and proportion immunized. [...] Assuming a willingness-to-pay of US$100,000 per averted year of life lost (YLL) and a price of $10 per test, the optimal strategy under a rapid transmission scenario (Re ∼ 2.5) is daily testing until one third of the population is immunized and then weekly testing until half the population is immunized, combined with a 10-day isolation period of positive cases and their households. Under a low transmission scenario (Re ∼ 1.2), the optimal sequence is weekly testing until the population reaches 10% partial immunity, followed by monthly testing until 20% partial immunity, and no testing thereafter. [...] Mass proactive testing and case isolation is a cost effective strategy for mitigating the COVID-19 pandemic in the initial stages of the global SARS-CoV-2 vaccination campaign and in response to resurgences of vaccine-evasive variants."

  ScienceDirect (Online service)

  Du, Zhanwei; Wang, Lin; Bai, Yuan . . .

  2022-04
• Building a 21st Century Infrastructure for America: The Role of Federal Agencies in Water Infrastructure, Hearing Before the Subcommittee on Water Resources and Environment of the Committee on Transportation and Infrastructure, U.S. House of Representatives, One Hundred Fifteenth Congress, First Session, March 9, 2017

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  This testimony compilation is from the March 9, 2017 hearing, "Building a 21st Century Infrastructure for America: The Role of Federal Agencies in Water Infrastructure" before the U.S. House of Representatives Subcommittee on Water Resources and Environment of the Committee on Transportation and Infrastructure. From the testimony of John Linc Stine: "Our nation's aging drinking water and wastewater treatment systems require federal investment in collaboration with states, so that innovative and affordable funding approaches, technical support, and leveraged funding solutions can be advanced to respond to the diverse need of American communities-small and large, urban and rural-across the United States. [...] Clean water is essential for economic prosperity, health, environmental quality, and should be a legacy for the future. Failing to invest in water infrastructure needs leads to adverse economic, public health, and equity consequences. Keeping these connections in the forefront of funding, programming, and policy decisions allows leaders within our federal and state capitols and legislatures, executive agencies, and communities across the U.S. to focus limited resources on the most pressing environmental and health challenges, and serves to highlight distracting federal requirements and demands." Statements, letters, and materials submitted for the record include those of the following: Jerry Ellig, Kathy L. Pape, John Linc Stine, Mike Inamine, Gary McCarthy, Jonathan Kernion, and Kevin DeGood.

  United States. Congress. House. Committee on Transportation and Infrastructure

  2017-03-09
• Changing Demands and Water Supply Uncertainty in California, Oversight Hearing Before the Subcommittee on Water, Power and Oceans of the Committee on Natural Resources, House of Representatives, One Hundred Fourteenth Congress, Second Session, July 12, 2016

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  This is the July 12, 2016 hearing on "Changing Demands and Water Supply Uncertainty in California" held before the House Subcommittee on Water, Power and Oceans. From the opening statement of John Fleming: "Today's hearing is about fostering government accountability and restoring balance to a region devastated by natural and man-made drought. Achieving these objectives will help give the Federal Government the metrics to improve our environment, while allowing California's farmers to provide food and fiber to our Nation and the world. This subcommittee is all too familiar with the historic drought that has impacted California. While there are various estimates of job losses, no one can disagree that number is in the thousands. With California providing the vast majority of fruits, nuts, and vegetables to grocery stores and tables nationwide, the drought has impacted all of us. With this year's El Niño, things were finally looking better for California. Many reservoirs are at historic capacity and farmers can use their water allocations as collateral for financing their planting season. There are continued disappointments, however, as evidenced by the chart on the TV screen, which compares outflows to the ocean from this year to the last. It basically says that 350 percent more water flowed through the Delta so far this year, but that water users in Southern California were only allowed to capture 50 percent more than last year. As a result, they only have 5 percent of their water allocation." Statements, letters, and materials submitted for the record include those of the following: Ara Azhderian, Bob Borck, David Murillo, and Jeffrey Sutton.

  United States. Government Publishing Office

  2016
• Chemicals in Commerce Act: Hearing Before the U.S. House of Representatives Committee on Energy and Commerce, Subcommittee on Environment and the Economy, One Hundred Thirteenth Congress, Second Session, April 29, 2014

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  This is the April 29, 2014 hearing before the House Committee on Energy and Commerce, Subcommittee on Environment and the Economy, titled "Chemicals in Commerce Act." This hearing is the second hearing on the Chemicals in Commerce Act. The first took place on March 12, 2014 and several changes have occurred since that date. From the opening statement of John Shimkus: "Since our March 12 hearing on the original discussion draft of the Chemicals in Commerce Act we've been working on a bipartisan basis to find common ground. The revised discussion draft before you today contains several significant changes from the earlier version." Statements, letters, and materials submitted for the record include those of the following: John Shimkus, Fred Upton, Jim Jones, Calvin Dooley, Beth Bosley, Mark Greenwood, Len Sauers, Steven Goldberg, Andy Igrejas, and Michael Moore.

  United States. Government Printing Office

  2014-04-29
• Wildfire Risk, Forest Health, and Associated Management Priorities of the U.S. Forest Service, Oversight Hearing Before the Subcommittee on Federal Lands of the Committee on Natural Resources, U.S. House of Representatives, One Hundred Fifteenth Congress, Second Session, June 7, 2018

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  This is the June 7, 2018 hearing on "Wildfire Risk, Forest Health, and Associated Management Priorities of the U.S. Forest Service," held before the Subcommittee on Federal Lands of the Committee on Natural Resources. From the opening statement of Tom McClintock: "The fires in 2017 devastated our public lands, consuming more than 10 million acres and costing the federal government more than $2.9 billion to fight; and 2018 offers us no reason for optimism. Approximately 1.7 million acres have already burned, and the potential for significant wildland fires in the western united states this summer is above normal. One of the problems facing the forest service is the practice of fire borrowing, using prevention funds to fight fires. This, of course, produces a negative feedback loop: the more we spend on fighting fires, the less we spend on preventing them; and the less we spend on preventing them, the more fires we have to fight." Statements, letters, and materials submitted for the record include those of the following: Vicki Christiansen.

  United States. Government Publishing Office

  2018
• Examining Impacts of Federal Natural Resources Laws Gone Astray, Oversight Hearing Before the Subcommittee on Oversight and Investigations of the Committee on Natural Resources, U.S. House of Representatives, One Hundred Fifteenth Congress, First Session, May 24, 2017

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  This is the May 24, 2017 oversight hearing on "Examining Impacts of Federal Natural Resources Laws Gone Astray," held before the U.S. House of Representatives Subcommittee on Oversight and Investigations of the Committee on Natural Resources. From the opening statement of Raul R. Labrador: "Today, we will examine the implementation of three Federal natural resource laws: the Indian Reorganization Act, known as IRA; the Wilderness Act; and the Federal Land Policy and Management Act, also referred to as FLPMA. The Constitution grants responsibility to the legislative branch to enact our Nation's laws, and charges the executive branch with carrying them out in accordance with congressional intent. However, as we will hear today, that is not often the case in how things work out. For too long, Federal agencies have been permitted to disregard congressional intent, and implement the laws Congress passes, sometimes ignoring the law's original purpose. This affront to the separation of powers must be stopped, and we must look to curbing abuse by the executive branch and reasserting power over the unelected bureaucracy. And that is why we are holding this hearing today." Statements, letters, and materials submitted for the record include those of the following: David Cook, Diane Dillon, Celeste Maloy, and Kendra Pinto.

  United States. Government Publishing Office

  2017
• Post-1999 U.S. Security and Counter-Drug Interests in Panama, Hearing Before the Committee on International Relations, House of Representatives, One Hundred Sixth Congress, First Session, Thursday, July 29, 1999

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  This is the July 29, 1999 hearing on "Post-1999 U.S. Security and Counter-Drug Interests in Panama," held before the U.S. House Committee on International Relations. From the opening statement of Benjamin A. Gilman: "At the end of this year, there will be no American troops in Panama for the first time since 1903. Yet, our own drug czar, General Barry McCaffrey, has called the narco-guerrilla crisis next door in Colombia a 'serious and growing emergency'. The United States military is turning over our facilities, valued at some $5 billion, to Panama on schedule. The Panama Canal Treaties will be implemented to the letter, and that is appropriate. What is not appropriate, however, is for the U.S. Government to turn our backs on Panama. Just as Panama is about to exercise full sovereignty over its territory, that country finds itself in a very dangerous neighborhood. The framers of the 1977 treaties could not have foreseen neighboring Colombia's drug-fueled agony; nor the sophistication of the drug cartels' corrupting, criminal reach. Nonetheless, under the treaties, our Nation will still protect the Panama Canal. Although the treaties provide that the United States and Panama can extend the U.S. military presence in Panama beyond 1999, no agreement has been reached." Statements, letters, and materials submitted for the record include those of the following: George A. Joulwan and Thomas E. McNamara.

  United States. Government Publishing Office

  1999
• Law Enforcement and COVID-19

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  From the Document: "As the number of COVID-19 [coronavirus disease 2019] cases across the globe increases, agencies must have the proper knowledge and resources to maintain a healthy workforce as officers continue to serve their communities on the front lines of the pandemic response. To that end, the IACP [International Association of Chiefs of Police] has launched a centralized clearinghouse of resources related to COVID-19 to provide you with the most up-to-date information available, including a collection of global resources for our members worldwide. In this insert, you will find a snapshot of these resources, including the following: [1] COVID-19 Information for Law Enforcement: General Fact Sheet [2] COVID-19: Staying Healthy as a Police Officer; [3] Organizational Readiness: Ensuring Your Agency is Prepared for COVID-19; [4] COVID-19: Health and Safety for Law Enforcement Families; [5] COVID-19: Law Enforcement's Role in Enforcing Public Health Protections; [6] COVID-19: Alternative Methods for Delivering Essential Law Enforcement Services[.] In addition to these resources, the IACP has launched a COVID-19 Response Discussion Group, an online community for IACP members to ask questions, engage with others, and share resources and information regarding the coronavirus and its impact on the policing profession. This Higher Logic discussion group can be found on the IACP website. This platform is limited to IACP members and requires IACP login information to access."

  International Association of Chiefs of Police

  2020-10-01?
• 'Promising Strategies from the Field': Spotlight on Sheriffs

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  From the Introduction: "The Office of Community Oriented Policing Services (COPS) has invested more than $9 billion to implement and enhance community policing efforts in tribal, state, and local jurisdictions since 1994. Over those eight years, COPS issued more than 35,500 grants to more than 12,800 agencies across the United States. These grants tackle important and immediate needs of communities across America through 27 innovative grant programs. COPS' Making Officer Redeployment Effective (MORE) grants help agencies increase the number of officers on the street who can engage in community policing activities. The COPS in Schools (CIS) grant program places law enforcement professionals in schools to work on a variety of issues and foster community partnerships. COPS has provided nearly $6 billion in assistance to tribal, state, and local law enforcement agencies through these three programs alone. [...] The stories that follow highlight the projects of six sheriffs' offices who found innovative uses for COPS funding. As more agencies report back on their progress in implementing COPS-funded community policing strategies, this series will showcase those efforts. The COPS Office hopes that in presenting them that others may benefit from these experiences, and that other agencies can learn from, replicate, and improve on these promising strategies."

  United States. Department of Justice. Office of Community Oriented Policing Services

  Teates, Noah; Tapp, Kelly

  2003-03-14
• Rank and File: Reflections on Emerging Issues in Law Enforcement

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  From the Introduction: "On August 16, 2017, the Office of Community Oriented Policing Services (COPS Office), a component of the U.S. Department of Justice (DOJ), invited 40 rank-and-file officers to engage in meaningful dialogue on numerous contemporary policing issues, share their insight and firsthand experiences as front-line officers, and discuss challenges they face in protecting their communities and reducing crime. The participants in the Rank & File Forum were officers, deputies, and troopers from a wide range of law enforcement agencies, nominated by the heads of their department as some of our nation's front-line leaders[.] [...] This second meeting of rank-and-file officers was a listening session to inform the DOJ on the current issues facing line officers. Throughout the day, many of those present reported feeling marginalized and criticized by those they were sworn to protect. [...] The officers in attendance at the forum brought energy, insight, and years of experience to the discussion. The foundation of community policing is a field of dedicated and upstanding rank-and-file officers who can speak into the local community and create partnerships that encourage trust and establish legitimacy. [...] A diverse roster of forum participants was invited and represented a variety of departments, programs, and areas of interest. SAI [Strategic Applications International] staff conducted pre-forum phone interviews with the majority of the participants before they came to Washington. The interviews were informative and helped develop the agenda, guide the dialogue, and inform this report. The forum structure was designed to maximize officer participation by introducing each topic through a 'springboard presentation' before transitioning to facilitated table talks. Participants were asked to provide specific examples or suggestions related to the topic of discussion, a number of which are highlighted throughout this report."

  United States. Department of Justice. Office of Community Oriented Policing Services

  Robinson, Mary-Jo; Smith, Christopher

  2018
• On the Horizon: What to Watch in 2022

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  From the Document: 'The world in 2021 continued to roil with the ongoing COVID-19 [coronavirus disease 2019] pandemic, intensifying competition between the world's major powers, questions of trust inside many of the world's leading democracies, and natural disasters made more intense by the effects of climate extremes. As we look to what is on the horizon in 2022, we contend with a geopolitical situation of greater uncertainty than at any time since the end of the Cold War. The Wilson Center strives to provide policymakers with industry-leading expertise that is trustworthy, nonpartisan, and rooted in the values expressed in our congressional charter: "symbolizing and strengthening the fruitful relation between the world of learning and the world of public affairs." In this spirit, we present On the Horizon - What to Watch in 2022.'

  Woodrow Wilson International Center for Scholars

  2022-01-12?
• 2022 is the Year of Decision: 'CSIS Commission on Strengthening America's Health Security'

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  From the Executive Summary: "The year 2022 is the year of decision. Confronted at the year's opening with the Omicron surge, we have no choice but to rethink U.S. approaches, at home and abroad, in both managing the ongoing pandemic and in creating better preparedness for the future. Although we have achieved significant progress with vaccines, boosters, and new therapeutics, we must come to terms with several hard realities, setbacks, and uncertainties. We must better unify and balance our domestic and international strategies, dissolving the tension between the two and making clear to Americans that each is essential to the truly global response necessary to resolve this crisis. We need to preserve and strengthen the fragile bipartisanship that has been and remains foundational to success in advancing America's health security. Science and technology do provide us with vital tools to manage the SARS-CoV-2 [severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2] virus, even as Omicron dramatically raises the urgency and stakes in developing and deploying better, more durable, and possibly pan-variant vaccines and in bringing new therapies rapidly to scale. Operation Warp Speed taught us what is possible in terms of speed, scale, and production of vaccines when there is political will, resources, oversight, and concentrated decision authority, including use of the Defense Production Act, that blends civilian and military capacities. Thinking on our future technology needs and preparedness infrastructure is advancing; the draft American Pandemic Preparedness Plan [hyperlink], released in September 2021, calls for $65 billion over 7 to 10 years to develop vaccines, therapies, and diagnostics and strengthen monitoring and surveillance, domestically and globally."

  Center for Strategic and International Studies (Washington, D.C.)

  Brooks, Susan; Gerberding, Julie Louise; Morrison, J. Stephen

  2022-01
• Evaluation of the Homeless Outreach Service Team (HOST) Program

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  From the Background and Introduction: "[R]eliance on the criminal justice system as a means of managing homeless populations places an expensive burden on a system that is not equipped to address the underlying issues contributing to homelessness[.] [...] Salt Lake City's Homeless Outreach Service Team (HOST) program was developed in April 2011 as a collaborative effort between law enforcement and homeless service providers to disrupt this cycle[.] [...] The original purpose of the HOST program was to bring Salt Lake City police officers and community outreach workers together to identify homeless individuals who frequently panhandle or engage in other types of public nuisance activities in downtown Salt Lake City and to connect them to community resources. [...] In 2012, the Salt Lake City (Utah) Police Department (SLCPD) received an award from the U.S. Department of Justice Office of Community Oriented Policing Services (COPS Office) to expand the HOST program. The goals of the COPS Office HOST award were to fund a public awareness campaign, coordinate strategic planning efforts, and recruit and train formerly homeless individuals as volunteers to assist with outreach efforts. Salt Lake City has contracted with the Utah Criminal Justice Center (UCJC) to examine the impact of the award on services offered and the perceptions, roles, and responsibilities of personnel and key stakeholders involved with the HOST program. This report covers the three primary components of the HOST program: donations to homeless service providers, the homeless support group, and collaborative street outreach."

  United States. Department of Justice. Office of Community Oriented Policing Services

  Worwood, Erin B.; Seawright, Jessica; Butters, Robert P.

  2016
• Addressing School-Related Crime and Disorder: Interim Lessons from School-Based Problem-Solving Projects

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  From the History and Purpose: "The COPS [Community Oriented Policing Services] funded School-Based Partnerships (SBP) grant program required law enforcement agencies to partner with schools to address crime and disorder problems in and around schools. Grantees utilized problem-solving techniques to better understand the causes of identified problems, apply analysis-driven responses, and evaluate their efforts. Ideally, to ensure manageable problem-solving projects, law enforcement agencies selected one focus school with which to partner and analyzed one of the following problem-types: [1] Bullying/threat/intimidation; [2] Drug dealing or use on school grounds including alcohol use and related problems; [3] Problems experienced by students on the way to and from school; [4] Assault/sexual assault; [5] Vandalism/graffiti; [6] Loitering and disorderly conduct directly related to crime or student safety; [7] Disputes that pose a threat to student safety; and [8] Larceny. With the advancement of community policing, police have become comfortable with formalized problem-solving techniques. Although practitioners are more comfortable and supportive of problem-solving, the concept is still challenged by such activities as collecting and interpreting the meaning of data. Similarly, school-based problem-solving projects pose unique challenges because police and school practitioners have operated very differently (or independently) until recently. This unfamiliar territory coupled with unfamiliar tasks can be even more challenging than other problem-solving initiatives. As a result, we intend to inform police and school practitioners about what to expect when forming partnerships, explain why it is important to overcome challenges, identify sources of information that each other can share, as well as identify stakeholders that each can partner with to support school-based problem-solving projects."

  United States. Department of Justice. Office of Community Oriented Policing Services

  Varano, Rita; Bezdikian, Veh

  2001-09
• Best Practices for Timing Attack Mitigation

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  From the Introduction: "GPS [Global Positioning System] signals play essential roles in the electric subsector by providing precision timing used to synchronize and record measurements from a range of equipment. However, previous research has demonstrated that GPS signals can be spoofed or jammed relatively easily in order to interfere with timing-reliant equipment. This document outlines utility best practices for mitigating against timing attacks in the electric subsector based on an assessment of the difficulty and impact of realistic timing attacks and testing of the effectiveness of technologies capable of mitigating them. This analysis builds on research establishing the vulnerability of GPS-reliant timing equipment to jamming and spoofing by elaborating the difficulty, consequences, and mitigations for timing attacks that adversaries might realistically attempt. While timing attacks are relatively low-cost, low-sophistication, and capable of systemic consequences in the electric subsector, they can be effectively mitigated through well-targeted and diverse mitigations. Based on results from mitigation testing, development of attack scenarios for precision timing manipulation, an analysis of critical points of failure for a representative grid model, and software assurance testing, this report describes the following recommendations for utility best practices to protect against and mitigate potential GPS timing attacks."

  Lawrence Livermore National Laboratory; United States. Department of Homeland Security. Science and Technology Directorate

  Applegate, Chloe J.; Campbell, Alexander

  2022-01-04