In a time when headlines come and go within hours, we thought it was time to give readers the stories from 2025 that were not only important but could also determine training and resources in the future.
Federal Consent Decrees Exposed
For three decades, the Department of Justice has been taking over law enforcement agencies through a mechanism called Consent Decrees. Anyone paying attention already knew they were abject disasters and only guaranteed more violence and less policing. With the assistance of the Phoenix Police Department, which released the video footage of every incident, the DOJ used to accuse them of a pattern and practice of constitutional violations, the scam has finally been exposed.
We published the study by Dr. Travis Yates and Dr. J.C. Chaix, showing that the DOJ lied in 97% of the cases. Two days later, President Trump ended the practice and pulled back investigations launched under President Biden. Few took notice of the shocking corruption that was exposed, and Congress has done nothing to eliminate the practice in the future. Law enforcement leaders can’t forget, and when the DOJ visits them under a different administration, they need to do what Phoenix did and say “get out of town.”
Officer Assaults Break Records
Since 2020, assaults on law enforcement have increased each year and were at an all-time high in 2024. It’s the most significant increase in history, and few seem to be talking about it. We did what organizations like PERF seem not to be doing: Finding out why.
While this is ongoing, it appears that the profession’s push for de-escalation, regardless of suspect behavior, is behind much of the violence perpetrated against law enforcement. Our article, The Sacred Cow Getting Cops Killed and Are Police Reforms Increasing Force, revealed a shocking discovery. The states that mandated de-escalation saw increases in the use of force and in officer injuries, with some increases over 100%. The so-called “reforms” aren’t going anywhere anytime soon, but leaders need to be on guard with any idea that hasn’t been proven.
Police Recruiting Continues Decline
We are five years into the crisis called Police Recruiting, but we are seeing glimpses of hope. The Cleveland Police Department recently reported on a surge of police applications, but that didn’t happen without extensive effort. As we’ve said several times, the profession doesn’t have a recruiting crisis but rather a leadership crisis. Agencies must make the right decisions to enhance recruiting, and this begins with ditching the expensive branding and marketing efforts that have plagued the profession since 2020. We are proud that we started talking about SAFEGUARD Recruiting years ago, and it appears that agencies like Cleveland and others are now paying attention.
I.C.E. Leaders Set The Tone for Mission-Driven Leadership
If you can get past the lies and mid-roll videos of ICE Agents doing their jobs while being called Nazi’s, there is another message that leaders need to embrace. The hate against law enforcement hasn’t gone anywhere; it’s just been redirected. Unlike the failures of local law enforcement a few years ago, DHS leaders are sticking to the mission, enforcing the laws of the United States. Can leaders learn from I.C.E.? We think so and published this article detailing that.
Below 100 & Law Officer
We launched Below 100 in 2010, a training program designed to reduce line-of-duty deaths to below 100 each year. As of December 31, 2025, it appears that the profession will finally achieve this milestone, but we caution every leader that the number is not a number. They are lives and families that will never be the same. There are also warning signals, including the alarming increase in officer assaults. There is much work to be done, but we are thankful to the original leaders of this program, former Law Officer Editor Dale Stockton, along with Travis Yates and Brian Willis. Here is an introductory article on the program.
October 2010 was a different time in the profession, and it was a different time for us. Law Officer was still a magazine, but it was this featured article that launched Below 100. It’s just as important today for leaders to pay attention as ever, and it’s our hope they do.
