The Weekly Briefing
Curated news and insights for police leaders, technologists, and researchers
Security Guard Thwarts Mass Shooting
J6 DC Cop’s Family Wins $500K Verdict
Whole-Community Overdose Solution
2025 Poised to Be America’s Safest Year
3D-Printed Guns Go Global
Police Sound Alarm on “Jugging”
LA Greenlights New Drone-Defense Law
Improv Training Helps Police Leaders
NSA Names New Executive Director
Johnson Continues as NC Highway Patrol Head
Security Guard Thwarts Mass Shooting
At CrossPointe Community Church in Wayne, Michigan, a security guard and another staff member confronted and fatally shot 31-year-old Brian Anthony Browning—who arrived armed with a tactical vest, long gun, and handgun—just moments after he began firing on worshippers during a live-streamed service. Police Chief Ryan Strong credited the quick actions of the church team with preventing a “large-scale mass shooting.” Browning, who had no criminal record but appeared to be in the midst of a mental-health crisis, was known to attend services occasionally; his mother is a church member. One guard was wounded in the leg but is expected to recover. 🔗 Read more
Family of J6 DC Cop Wins $500K Verdict
Metropolitan Police Officer Jeffrey Smith’s widow and estate have been awarded $500,000 by a federal jury after finding chiropractor David Walls-Kaufman liable for assaulting Smith during the Jan. 6 Capitol attack. The jury assessed $380,000 in punitive damages and $60,000 in compensatory damages to Erin Smith, plus $60,000 to Smith’s estate for his pain and suffering. Judge Ana Reyes had dismissed the wrongful-death claim, ruling Walls-Kaufman’s actions couldn’t reasonably be tied to Smith’s subsequent suicide. Walls-Kaufman, who denies ever striking the officer, previously served—and was later pardoned from—a 60-day sentence for a riot-related misdemeanor. Smith’s family is pursuing his inclusion on the National Law Enforcement Memorial as a line-of-duty death. 🔗 Read more
Whole-Community Overdose Solution
In Chesterfield County, Va., overdose deaths tumbled by 50% in just one year—twice the national decline—through a “do-everything” public-health strategy anchored in its jail. Sheriff Karl Leonard transformed his facility into a default treatment center, launching the HARP program (Helping Addicts Recover Progressively) with peer recovery specialists like Joy Bogese riding along on police calls, and offering inmates trauma therapy, counseling, and medication-assisted treatment. Outside the jail, the county opened a recovery-focused high school, turned libraries into Narcan hubs, and empowered EMS crews to administer overdose-reversal drugs en route to hospitals. With one-third of inmates enrolled in HARP and robust reentry planning—including housing, ongoing support, and medical follow-ups—Chesterfield has become a national model for slashing overdose fatalities. 🔗 Read more
2025 Poised to Be America’s Safest Year
Jeff Asher’s latest Jeff-alytics post analyzes early 2025 data from the Real-Time Crime Index—now covering nearly 380 agencies and 95 million people—to show that the United States is poised to record its lowest violent crime rate since 1968, the lowest property crime rate on record, and potentially the lowest murder rate ever documented. By comparing RTCI’s April 2023 forecasts with the FBI’s year-end figures, Asher demonstrates the index’s strong predictive power and then applies similar conservative assumptions—modest population growth, partial underreporting, and possible data revisions—to project continued declines in 2024 and 2025. For full charts, methodology, and ongoing monthly updates, subscribe to Jeff-alytics on Substack. 🔗 Read more
3D-Printed Guns Go Global, Evading Regulation
BBC reveals how untraceable “ghost” firearms—assembled from 3D-printed components and downloadable blueprints—are proliferating on social media platforms like Telegram, Facebook and Instagram. Investigators documented active gun ads on Meta’s networks, then traced weapons offers (including Liberator pistols and Glock auto-sears) through Telegram channels. While Meta and Telegram say they’ve disabled offending accounts, the ease of accessing DIY blueprints (e.g., the FGC-9 model) means criminals and extremists can become “DIY gunsmiths” without buying ready-made weapons. The report also examines Myanmar’s brief use of 3D-printed guns in conflict, highlighting both the potential and the current limitations of these plastic firearms—and fueling global debates over criminalizing blueprints and blocking 3D-printer capabilities. 🔗 Read more
Police Sound Alarm on ‘Jugging’ Robbery Trend
Law enforcement agencies are warning of a fast-growing tactic known as “jugging,” in which criminals stake out banks and ATMs, watch victims withdraw large sums of cash, then follow them to a secondary location where they swiftly carry out a robbery. Originating in Texas, jugging has now been reported in Georgia and South Carolina, with surveillance footage showing the entire crime play out in seconds. In one case, two suspects watching a landscaping business owner’s $6,000 ATM withdrawal tracked him to a gas station, smashed his truck window, and escaped with his payroll. Police advise heightened vigilance after ATM transactions. 🔗 Read more
LAPD Officer Down
Louisiana Greenlights Drone-Defense Law
Governor Jeff Landry has signed House Bill 261—dubbed the “We Will Act” Act—granting Louisiana state and local officers the authority to neutralize unmanned aircraft systems deemed “nefarious.” Under the new law, officers may employ jamming, hacking, or even physically capture hostile drones, and it is now expressly illegal to fly drones over parades and parade routes (with carve-outs for movie and TV productions). Landry says Louisiana is the first state to vest such counter-drone powers in local law enforcement, a move praised by the nonprofit State Shield as setting a national precedent. The bill passed both legislative chambers without opposition. 🔗 Read more
Improv Training Helps Police Leaders Listen, Adapt, and Innovate
At the University of Chicago Crime Lab’s Policing Leadership Academy, police captains from around the country partnered with The Second City improv troupe to hone critical leadership skills—active listening, quick thinking, and open-minded collaboration. Over five months of workshops, participants practiced exercises like “listening past the elbow” to capture complete information, while also studying data-driven policing strategies, trauma resilience, and community engagement. Researchers chose precinct captains for their outsized influence on department culture, and graduates are now rolling out capstone projects—from drone-as-first-responder pilots to peer-support wellness systems—and staying connected through an alumni network. 🔗 Read more
New NSA Executive Director & CEO
The National Sheriffs’ Association has tapped former Larimer County Sheriff Justin Smith as its next Executive Director and CEO, succeeding Jonathan Thompson upon his 2025 retirement. With 36 years in law enforcement and public safety—rising from patrol deputy to three-term elected sheriff—Smith brings deep operational experience and a strong leadership pedigree. A Kansas native and Wichita State alumnus, he holds a master’s in criminal justice and is a graduate of the FBI National Academy. 🔗 Read more
Johnson Confirmed as NC Highway Patrol Head Through 2030
A Wake County (NC) Superior Court panel has upheld the General Assembly’s vote to override Gov. Josh Stein’s veto, clearing the way for Colonel Freddy Johnson to begin a new five-year term as commander of the North Carolina Highway Patrol on July 1. Johnson—first elevated to this Cabinet-level post by Gov. Roy Cooper in 2021—saw his appointment challenged by Stein but defended by the legislature’s “inherent and express authority” to structure state agencies. Presiding Judges Stuart Albright, Justin Davis and Matthew Houston ruled Stein cannot bar Johnson from office, though the governor retains authority to remove rank-and-file troopers. Johnson will now lead the patrol through 2030. 🔗 Read more
—> Follow me on: LinkedIn and X
—> All episodes of the Boldly Go Podcast, here