The Public Safety Officer Medal of Valor is awarded by the President to public safety officers cited by the Attorney General and recommended by the Medal of Valor Review Board. Nominations for the highest national award for valor by a public safety officer must be received by July 31, 2006. (BJA)

AVOID Identity Theft: Deter, Detect, Defend, a Federal Trade Commission education kit, supports federal efforts to reduce the risk of becoming a victim and identifies resources to help identify those who are victims of identity theft. As a federal partner in this campaign, OVC is distributing 4,600 kits in helping to spread the word: Deter, Detect, and Defend. (OVC)

To provide survivors and public safety agencies with increased outreach and a greatly streamlined process to submit claims for officers who have fallen in the line of duty, PSOB forms for death benefits are now available online. (BJA)

Notice of Intent Deadline: June 29, 2006
CCDO is seeking applications for the FY 2007 Weed and Seed Communities Competitive Program. Urban and rural communities, Indian tribes, and tribal communities with a persistent high level of serious violent crime and that have not previously received Weed and Seed Official Recognition are eligible to apply. (CCDO)

Deadline: July 7, 2006
Funding offered for the Convicted Offender DNA Backlog Reduction Program will focus on reducing convicted offender DNA sample backlogs through in-house analysis and data review. Only states with existing accredited crime laboratories that conduct in-house DNA analysis of convicted offender DNA samples should apply. (NIJ)

Deadline: July 10, 2006
This NIJ solicitation, Forensic DNA Capacity Enhancement Program, offers funds to improve the infrastructure and analytic capacity of crime laboratories so that DNA samples can be processed more efficiently and cost effectively. Applicants must be state and local units of government with existing crime laboratories. (NIJ)

Deadline: July 10, 2006
NIJ’s Forensic Casework DNA Backlog Reduction Program offers funding to analyze backlogged forensic DNA casework samples from forcible rape and murder/nonnegligent manslaughter crimes. Only applications from local governments with existing crime laboratories conducting DNA analysis through government-owned accredited laboratories or through accredited fee-for-service vendors will be accepted. (NIJ)

"Building Community Support for New Jail Construction" (ACCN 021328) (24 pp.) discusses the challenges of new jail construction and the steps required to gain community support. Topics include raising the issue, increasing public awareness, building a case for support, maximizing community meetings, and responding to public input. Not available from NCJRS. For more information, contact the NIC Information Center (800-877-1461). (NIC)

"Jail Site Evaluation and Selection" (ACCN 021280) (16 pp.) provides jurisdictions with needed information to begin the jail site evaluation and selection process. It also outlines an approach to help jurisdictions address public concerns and to select a jail site that best meets the community's needs. Not available from NCJRS. For more information, contact the NIC Information Center (800-877-1461). (NIC)

"Prison and Jail Inmates at Midyear 2005" (NCJ 213133) (12 pp.) presents data on prison and jail inmates collected from National Prisoner Statistics counts and the Census of Jail Inmates 2005. This annual report provides the number of inmates and the overall incarceration rate per 100,000 residents for each state and the federal system. (BJS)

This free online event, sponsored by Government Innovators Network and NIJ and hosted by Swanee Hunt, Director of the Women and Public Policy Program, will include Q&A, expert perspectives on sex trafficking issues, and discussions by Ambassador John Miller, U.S. Department of State, and Norma Hotaling, founder of the SAGE Project. (NIJ)

On July 9-11, 2006, in Portsmouth, New Hampshire, the Family Research Laboratory and the Crimes against Children Research Center will sponsor the International Family Violence and Child Victimization Research Conference. Topics will include family violence, child maltreatment, multidisciplinary interventions, and youth Internet victimization. (OJJDP)

On August 24-26, 2006, in Baltimore, Maryland, OJJDP's Underage Drinking Enforcement Training Center will hold Charting the Course: Promoting Innovation Through Action. Practitioners will learn how to establish and strengthen linkages between law enforcement and community agencies. (OJJDP)

On July 16-19, 2006, in Milwaukee, Wisconsin, the National Council of Juvenile and Family Court Judges will hold its annual conference. Topics to be addressed include detention alternatives, family violence, permanency planning, sanctions, substance abuse, tribal courts, and truancy. (OJJDP)

NIC will host a 3-hour satellite/Internet broadcast on June 28, 2006. This session will focus on the seriousness of this issue and introduce those working with children and juvenile offenders to the requirements of the Prison Rape Elimination Act of 2003 and explain how to implement them. Broadcast times vary. (NIC)