Other Group

Futures Working Group (FWG)

Website:

www.futuresworkinggroup.com

Type:

Research and advisory organization

Founded:

2002

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Futures Working Group (FWG) is a project of the Society of Police Futurists International (SPFI) and provides research and training to law enforcement, government, and academia. FWG worked closely with the Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI) from 2002-2016. FWG identifies trends and research needs in policing.

History

In 1982, the FBI’s National Academy began a graduate course on futuristics in law enforcement. 1 In 1991, the FBI National Academy held a five-day conference for law enforcement from around the world on the future of law enforcement. 2 From the conference, the attendees formed the Society of Police Futurists International. 3 After a subsequent 2000 conference on the future of law enforcement and the September 11, 2001 attacks, SPFI formed the Futures Working Group in February 2002. 4

In April 2002, SPFI signed a memorandum of understanding with the FBI to formalize the Futures Working Group. The FBI ceased formal involvement with the Futures Working Group in 2016. 5 The Futures Working Group continues to work as an extension of the Society of Police Futurists International. 6

Issues

The Futures Working Group provides research, consultation, presentations, and training to police, governments, and educational institutions. 7 Members of FWG are current and retired law enforcement, academics, members of the military, and individuals in the private sector. 8 The group identifies and explores emerging and future trends to assist policing. 9

FWG promotes innovation in policing to improve “effectiveness, efficiency, and equity of law enforcement.” 10 It has identified five trends that will affect policing in the near future: trust in the police; an aging population that will require more social services including the police; a wealth gap where those with less money tend to have more interactions with the police and experience “unequal treatment,” whether real or perceived; artificial intelligence; and disagreements about facts and data and the blurring of lines between opinion and fact. 11

The Futures Working Groups identifies multiple areas for further research and examination including criminal liability for autonomous vehicles, increased accessibility to creating “deep fake” videos involving crime and police, augmented reality technology, and the future of forensic science. 12

Neighborhood Driven Policing

The Futures Working Group proposed the idea of neighborhood driven policing (NDP) that would place neighborhood beat officers in specific neighborhoods. 13 These officers would require additional social skills training and meet with local leaders and councils, provide outreach, and contact social services agencies to assist the community .14 FWG noted an example of neighborhood driven policing includes confronting neighborhood drug dealers to explain the consequences of illegal conduct and inform them of government sponsored job training and education. 15 NDP also advocates for rapid response teams to assist neighborhood beat officers. 16

School Violence

Futures Working Group published a white paper forecasting the possibility of Mexican drug cartels attacking U.S. schools as retaliation of the ongoing war on drugs. 17 FWG also noted concerns about radical white supremacist or Jewish radicals attacking Muslim schools. 18 Despite a focus on gun bans, FWG writes that most school violence occurs from knives and other sharp weapons with a future potential of more bombs and incendiary devices being used to target schools. 19

References

  1. “The History of the Futures Working Group.” Futures Working Group. Accessed October 23, 2022. https://futuresworkinggroup.com/our-history.
  2. “The History of the Futures Working Group.” Futures Working Group. Accessed October 23, 2022. https://futuresworkinggroup.com/our-history
  3. “The History of the Futures Working Group.” Futures Working Group. Accessed October 23, 2022. https://futuresworkinggroup.com/our-history.
  4. “The History of the Futures Working Group.” Futures Working Group. Accessed October 23, 2022. https://futuresworkinggroup.com/our-history.
  5. “The History of the Futures Working Group.” Futures Working Group. Accessed October 23, 2022. https://futuresworkinggroup.com/our-history.
  6. “The History of the Futures Working Group.” Futures Working Group. Accessed October 23, 2022. https://futuresworkinggroup.com/our-history.
  7. “The History of the Futures Working Group.” Futures Working Group. Accessed October 23, 2022. https://futuresworkinggroup.com/our-history.
  8. “What We Do.” Futures Working Group. Accessed October 23, 2022. https://futuresworkinggroup.com/what-we-do.
  9. “What We Do.” Futures Working Group. Accessed October 23, 2022. https://futuresworkinggroup.com/what-we-do.
  10. “The History of the Futures Working Group.” Futures Working Group. Accessed October 23, 2022. https://futuresworkinggroup.com/our-history.
  11. Schafer, Joseph, Tom Cowper, Carl Jensen, John Jackson, Bernard Levin, Richard W. Myers. “Planning for the Future: A Primer for Police Leaders on Futures Thinking.” October 2019. Accessed October 23, 2022. https://static1.squarespace.com/static/5b97194155b02c4d28606a96/t/5dbf3a35c85da67954d3090e/1572813387048/PF_Futures-Thinking_Web1.pdf.
  12. Schafer, Joseph, Tom Cowper, Carl Jensen, John Jackson, Bernard Levin, Richard W. Myers. “Planning for the Future: A Primer for Police Leaders on Futures Thinking.” October 2019. Accessed October 23, 2022. https://static1.squarespace.com/static/5b97194155b02c4d28606a96/t/5dbf3a35c85da67954d3090e/1572813387048/PF_Futures-Thinking_Web1.pdf; Schafer, Joseph. “Deepfakes, Forensic Science, and Police Investigations.” Society of Police Futurists. Accessed October 23, 2022. https://policefuturists.wordpress.com/2019/05/04/deepfakes-forensic-science-and-police-investigations/; Buerger, Michael, Bernard H. Levin, Richard Myers. “Future Issues in Forensic Science.” Futures Working Group White Paper Series. August 2018. Accessed October 23, 2022. https://static1.squarespace.com/static/5b97194155b02c4d28606a96/t/5bb416c771c10b7ebdee181e/1538529956080/Future+of+Forensics.pdf.
  13. Myers, Richard W., Bernard H. Levin, Joseph A. Schafer. “Neighborhood-Driven Policing Revisited.” National Police Foundation. August 2021. Accessed October 23, 2022. https://www.policinginstitute.org/wp-content/uploads/2021/08/Neighborhood-Driven-Policing_final-2.pdf.
  14. Myers, Richard W., Bernard H. Levin, Joseph A. Schafer. “Neighborhood-Driven Policing Revisited.” National Police Foundation. August 2021. Accessed October 23, 2022. https://www.policinginstitute.org/wp-content/uploads/2021/08/Neighborhood-Driven-Policing_final-2.pdf.
  15. [1] Myers, Richard W., Bernard H. Levin, Joseph A. Schafer. “Neighborhood-Driven Policing Revisited.” National Police Foundation. August 2021. Accessed October 23, 2022. https://www.policinginstitute.org/wp-content/uploads/2021/08/Neighborhood-Driven-Policing_final-2.pdf
  16. Myers, Richard W., Bernard H. Levin, Joseph A. Schafer. “Neighborhood-Driven Policing Revisited.” National Police Foundation. August 2021. Accessed October 23, 2022. https://www.policinginstitute.org/wp-content/uploads/2021/08/Neighborhood-Driven-Policing_final-2.pdf.
  17. Buerger, Michael E., Bernard H. Levin, Joseph A. Schafer. “Examining School Violence: A Consideration of Select Future Avenues.” Police Futures International. February 2018. Accessed October 23, 2022. https://static1.squarespace.com/static/5b97194155b02c4d28606a96/t/5bb416fdf9619a6ba2fa8618/1538529942623/Future+of+School+Violence.pdf.
  18. Buerger, Michael E., Bernard H. Levin, Joseph A. Schafer. “Examining School Violence: A Consideration of Select Future Avenues.” Police Futures International. February 2018. Accessed October 23, 2022. https://static1.squarespace.com/static/5b97194155b02c4d28606a96/t/5bb416fdf9619a6ba2fa8618/1538529942623/Future+of+School+Violence.pdf.
  19. Buerger, Michael E., Bernard H. Levin, Joseph A. Schafer. “Examining School Violence: A Consideration of Select Future Avenues.” Police Futures International. February 2018. Accessed October 23, 2022. https://static1.squarespace.com/static/5b97194155b02c4d28606a96/t/5bb416fdf9619a6ba2fa8618/1538529942623/Future+of+School+Violence.pdf.
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