HOUSTON - Nearly 100 law enforcement agents and officers from across the state of Texas are attending an officer safety training conference sponsored by the Department of Justice, announced Acting U.S. Attorney Abe Martinez. The officer saftey and wellness training program is entitled Preventing Violence Against Law Enforcement and Ensuring Officer Resilience and Survivability, aka VALOR, and it is part of a the recently-announced Houston Law Enforcement Violent Crime Initiative created to proactively fight violent crime across the Greater Houston area.
“Each day, law enforcement at the federal, state and local levels face numerous threats while on duty," said Martinez. “It is our job to provide them all the tools necessary to promote the safe execution of their duties as they work together to keep our communities safe".
Martinez opened the program today which will include presentations by federal, local and state law enforcement experts from across the nation. The three-day conference is being held at Drug Enforcement Administration. The United States Attorney’s Office (USAO) and the Regional Organized Crime Information Center are co-hosting the event which is sponsored by the Department of Justice’s Bureau of Justice Assistance.
The VALOR initiative offers a national response to emerging trends and aims to help law enforcement agencies adequately prepare officers for the threats they face while on duty. The goal is to reduce violence against law enforcement and improve officer survivability. VALOR enables the entire U.S. law enforcement community to have access to and benefit from the latest expertise, analysis, tactics, interdiction techniques and response methods to address this critical problem and to reduce the number of officer fatalities. This goal is achieved through ongoing identification of emerging criminal threats, the development and delivery of knowledge and skills-based training to effectively address those threats as well as the promotion of attentive vigilance among law enforcement to proactively assess ever-changing circumstances.
This long-term officer safety initiative includes the comprehensive and multifaceted training program which is supported by data collection and analysis, policy development support and technical assistance. VALOR is designed to reach thousands of officers and law enforcement managers and policymakers through in-person (classroom and hands-on) and distance-learning efforts, resources and publications and technical assistance.
The VALOR training being offered this week was designed for front-line law enforcement to promote officer safety and help prevent injuries and deaths to law enforcement officers in the line of duty. In this training, participants gain an understanding of emerging threats, including those posed by antigovernment criminal extremists and learn techniques for anticipating and surviving a violent encounter. Officers also learn how to identify concealed weapons and armed gunmen, gain knowledge of the mental and physical skills required for high-risk tactical situations that may involve active shooters, high-risk tactical considerations, specific threat groups and violent criminals as well as an understanding of the importance of self-aid/buddy-aid training.
At a previous event held at the U.S. Attorney’s Office last month, law enforcement executives received training that addressed officer safety issues relevant to the roles and responsibilities of law enforcement executives, discussed the effectiveness of past and current officer safety policies and strategies, and identified and explored new ideas regarding agencies’ approaches to officer safety.
Source: U.S. Department of Justice, Office of the United States Attorneys
