PERF and the U.S. Justice Department's Bureau of Justice Assistance (BJA) are pleased to announce the release of a new (and extremely timely) publication, "Benchmarks for Developing a Law Enforcement Pandemic Flu Plan." 

 

This interactive planning guide identifies important considerations for police executives seeking to develop plans for dealing with an influenza pandemic or other public health emergency. These plans boil down to several major themes:

 

--Police agencies may need to take on new duties (such as enforcing quarantines or maintaining order at hospitals where doses of vaccine are available but in short supply);

 

--Police employees must use personal protective equipment and smart procedures to ensure that they will not be exposed to the flu virus, in order to keep the maximum number of employees on duty; and

 

--Advance planning can help ensure that non-essential police functions can be suspended in an orderly way as the supply of officers declines and demands on the department increase.

 

Our guide helps to ensure that your plans will be comprehensive, adaptable, and compliant with National Incident Management System (NIMS) guidelines.

It provides links, templates, documents, and other resources to help users navigate through the planning process.

 

This guide is available for download at:

http://policeforum.org/upload/Benchmarks%20Guide_v6_596059234_1012009170513.

pdf

 

This report is the second in a series of three documents being created by PERF in partnership with BJA. The series focuses on the law enforcement response to public health emergencies and is intended to apply to agencies of all sizes and types.

 

The first in the series, "Communication and Public Health Emergencies: A Guide for Law Enforcement," is available at:

 

PERF will announce the release of the third report, "A Guide to Occupational Health and Safety for Law Enforcement Executives," when it becomes available. And an executive summary of all three documents will be mailed to PERF members after the series is complete.