Grant Alert: BJS FY24 National Criminal History Improvement Program (NCHIP) Supplemental Funding under the Bipartisan Safer Communities Act

The Bureau of Justice Statistics (BJS) announced the continuation of the National Criminal History Improvement Program (NCHIP) in fiscal year (FY) 2024.

Grant Alert: Bureau of Justice Statistics (BJS) FY24 National Criminal History Improvement Program (NCHIP)

The Bureau of Justice Statistics (BJS) announced the continuation of the National Criminal History Improvement Program (NCHIP) in fiscal year (FY) 2024.

Grant Alert: 2023 National Criminal History Improvement Program (NCHIP)

The Bureau of Justice Statistics (BJS) announced the continuation of the National Criminal History Improvement Program (NCHIP) in fiscal year (FY) 2023.

Grant Alert: Kentucky Homeland Security Grant Program (HSGP)

The state of Kentucky recently opened applications for its annual Kentucky Homeland Security Grant Program.

MCP’s James King Recognized by the 2022 Communities of Excellence Recognition and Assessment Program

Dr. King supported the assessment report of a Florida community

Grant Alert: Unprecedented Cybersecurity Grants for State and Local Governments Announced

The Department of Homeland Security (DHS) released its long-awaited State and Local Cybersecurity Grant Program

MCP Grows Yet Again, This Time Adding Critical Cybersecurity Expertise

Over the last several years, Mission Critical Partners aggressively has pursued acquisitions that expand the services and solutions that we can offer to clients in support of their missions. That work continues with the addition of Secure Halo, which is headquartered in Silver Spring, Maryland. This acquisition is the fifth executed by MCP in the last four years.

MCP Has a Lot Going On at Next Week’s NENA Conference

Things are starting to feel more normal, if not completely normal, as the COVID-19 pandemic seems to be winding down and various restrictions are being lifted, or at least lessened. Strong evidence of this can be found next week in Columbus, Ohio, where the National Emergency Number Association (NENA) will host its annual trade show and conference. This is the first brick-and-mortar event to be staged in the public safety communications sector in roughly a year and a half.

This Month’s Cyberchat Shines a Light on the Rise of Ransomware

Earlier this year, we ramped up our cybersecurity efforts by launching a series of monthly video chats in which we summarize the most recent threats, share information from entities such as the Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI) and the Cybersecurity Infrastructure Security Agency (CISA), and offer tips for preventing cyberattacks and mitigating them if they occur. This month’s Cyberchat video, which can be viewed below, contains some important information that public-sector and critical infrastructure agencies need to have.

Double the Attack, Double the Fees

Double-encryption ransomware attacks, which typically include cyberattackers encrypting a target’s data twice, at the same time or shortly after each other, are on the rise. In this month’s video, we explore how agencies can mitigate the risk of a double-encryption attack and begin the rebuilding process if one occurs.

Operational Change Management Depends Largely on Organizational Culture

by Michele Frankovich and Elizabeth Lenz 

The ancient philosopher Heraclitus stated that change is the only constant in life. But that isn’t quite right. Another constant is that people generally are reticent to change and will do almost anything to avoid it. That’s because change represents the unknown, which is scary.

Nevertheless, change presents opportunities. Change is how people and organizations evolve. And evolution is necessary—if people and organizations do not adapt to changing conditions, they sooner or later will encounter difficulties. For instance, people need to learn new skillsets if they want to remain competitive in the job market. Similarly, organizations need to react to changing market conditions if they want to continue serving their customers, whose needs and wants continually evolve—or in the case of government entities, their constituents.

Meet Molly Falls: Public Safety Project Manager by Day, Triathlete by Night

After years of swimming competitively while earning bachelor’s and master’s degrees from Ball State University, Molly Falls found her way into the public safety industry and then to Mission Critical Partners (MCP). Now a senior technology specialist who specializes in managing statewide 911 projects, Molly credits years of intense training and balancing the daily grind of athletics with academics as influential factors in her ability to multitask, manage tight deadlines, and remain focused as a project manager.

Georgia Criminal Justice System Realizes Faster Case Processing and More Informed Decision-Making with Statewide CJEP Project

When the Georgia Governor's Office charged a team of criminal justice stakeholders with accessing the efficiencies that could be gained from electronic court filing, statewide criminal justice stakeholders set out to find ways in which documents and information could be seamlessly shared between systems. The State’s goal to improve criminal-history disposition match rates quickly expanded to the realization that real, sustainable statewide improvements would significantly improve the flow of justice information from the beginning to the end of the criminal case lifecycle. At that time, the administration was determined to improve the performance of the state’s criminal justice system to better protect public safety and control spending.