WHEREAS, there has been recent significant understanding of how emotional neglect and exposure to serious trauma affect the way children perceive and interact with their world both during childhood and into adulthood;1 and

WHEREAS, such traumatic incidents and events include emotional and physical abuse and neglect,  sexual abuse, separation from or loss of a parent due to divorce or other reasons, serious injury or death of a parent, exposure to family discord, domestic violence, parental mental illness, substance abuse, criminal activity in the home, and other traumatic and non-nurturing experiences and environments;2 and

WHEREAS, abuse, neglect, and traumatic events compose part of what has been described in the medical literature as “adverse childhood experiences” or “ACEs,” and there is cumulative potential impact to a child who has a significant history of exposure to neglect and trauma;3 and

WHEREAS, it is now understood that significant exposure to severe traumatic events as outlined above can negatively affect a child’s developing brain and result in a substantially impaired ability to develop healthy coping skills and adapt to life’s challenges as the child becomes an adult;4 and

WHEREAS, children and adults whose brains have been negatively affected by exposure to severe or repeated serious trauma, often experience persistent and sometimes overwhelming dysfunctional emotions of fear, anxiety, depression, hopelessness, and anger and may exhibit socially inappropriate or aggressive behaviors;5 and

WHEREAS, those exposed to ACEs have a higher likelihood of abusing tobacco, alcohol, prescription medications, illicit drugs, and other substances;6 and

WHEREAS, those who have experienced ACEs are more likely to become directly engaged with law enforcement and the criminal justice system;7 and

WHEREAS, in order to maximize the potential for positive outcomes of those exposed to ACEs, it is imperative that all law enforcement officers endeavor to understand the impact of adverse childhood experiences and, how as leaders in communities who work with schools, child protective services, non- profit organizations, and faith based groups in building capacities, to provide protective factors to help overcome the exposure to such ACEs. Now, therefore, be it

RESOLVED that the International Association of Chiefs of Police encourages all law enforcement agencies to become well informed regarding the correlation between adverse childhood experiences and numerous negative outcomes as outlined in this resolution, so that law enforcement agencies may work with professionals in developing age-appropriate responses in providing protective factors and developing resiliency in children and adults currently suffering from trauma-related experiences to help them recover and function at their full capacity and potential in school, the workplace, and community and avoid negative involvement with the criminal justice system.

Submitted by: Juvenile Justice & Child Protection Committee

Co-Sponsored by: Crime Prevention Committee, Victim Services Committee, and Community Policing Committee

JJCP.12.19

1 ACES 360 Iowa. 2019. ACES Imact on Brain Development. Accessed August 2019. https://www.iowaaces360.org/aces-and- development.html.

Bartos, Leah. January 2016. "Pipeline to Prison May Start with Childhood Trauma." California Health Report.

Houry, Debra, MD, MPHA. 2019. Idntifying, Preventing, and Treating Childhood Trauma. 11 July. Accessed August 24, 2019. https://www.cdc.gov/washington/testimony/2019/t20190711.htm.

Kiburi, Sarah Kanana, Keneilwe Molbesti, Anne Obondno, and Mary W. Kuria. 2018. "Adverse Childhood Experience Among Patients with Substance Abuse Disoders at a Referreal Hospital - Kenya."

National Center for Education Statistics. n.d. School Crime. Accessed August 2019. https://nces.ed.gov/fastfacts/display.asp?id=49.

National Police Foundation. n.d. National Police Foundation. Accessed August 2019. https://www.policefoundation.org/projects/averted-school-attacks-data-collection-platform/.

Statistics, Bureau of Justice. 2015. 2015 Violent Crime Statistics. Washington DC: US Department of Justice. The Centers for Disease Control. 2019. About Adverse Childhood Experiences. Accessed August 2019.

https://www.cdc.gov/violenceprevention/childabuseandneglect/acestudy/aboutace.html?CDC_AA_refVal=https%3A

%2F%2Fwww.cdc.gov%2Fviolenceprevention%2Facestudy%2Fabout_ace.html.

The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. 2019. About the CDC - Kaiser ACE Study. Accessed July 2019. https://www.cdc.gov/violenceprevention/childabuseandneglect/acestudy/about.html.

2019. The National Center for Biotechnology Information. Accessed August 2019. https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/.

The National Traumatic Chlid Strett Network. 2019. Effects. Accessed August 2019. https://www.nctsn.org/what-is-child- trauma/trauma-types/complex-trauma/effects.https://www.nctsn.org/what-is-child-trauma/trauma-types/complex-trauma/effects.

2 The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, “About the CDC - Kaiser ACE Study,”   https://www.cdc.gov/violenceprevention/childabuseandneglect/acestudy/about.html.

3 The Centers for Disease Control, “About Adverse Childhood Experiences,” https://www.cdc.gov/violenceprevention/childabuseandneglect/acestudy/aboutace.html.

4 ACES 360 Iowa. 2019. ACES Imact on Brain Development. Accessed August 2019. https://www.iowaaces360.org/aces-and- development.html.

Bartos, Leah. January 2016. "Pipeline to Prison May Start with Childhood Trauma." California Health Report.

Houry, Debra, MD, MPHA. 2019. Idntifying, Preventing, and Treating Childhood Trauma. 11 July. Accessed August 24, 2019. https://www.cdc.gov/washington/testimony/2019/t20190711.htm.

Kiburi, Sarah Kanana, Keneilwe Molbesti, Anne Obondno, and Mary W. Kuria. 2018. "Adverse Childhood Experience Among Patients with Substance Abuse Disoders at a Referreal Hospital - Kenya."

National Center for Education Statistics. n.d. School Crime. Accessed August 2019. https://nces.ed.gov/fastfacts/display.asp?id=49.

National Police Foundation. n.d. National Police Foundation. Accessed August 2019. https://www.policefoundation.org/projects/averted-school-attacks-data-collection-platform/.

Statistics, Bureau of Justice. 2015. 2015 Violent Crime Statistics. Washington DC: US Department of Justice. The Centers for Disease Control. 2019. About Adverse Childhood Experiences. Accessed August 2019.

https://www.cdc.gov/violenceprevention/childabuseandneglect/acestudy/aboutace.html?CDC_AA_refVal=https%3A

%2F%2Fwww.cdc.gov%2Fviolenceprevention%2Facestudy%2Fabout_ace.html.

The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. 2019. About the CDC - Kaiser ACE Study. Accessed July 2019. https://www.cdc.gov/violenceprevention/childabuseandneglect/acestudy/about.html.

2019. The National Center for Biotechnology Information. Accessed August 2019. https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/.

The National Traumatic Chlid Strett Network. 2019. Effects. Accessed August 2019. https://www.nctsn.org/what-is-child- trauma/trauma-types/complex-trauma/effects.

5 The National Center for Biotechnology Information, “Welcome to NCBI,” https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov.

6 Identifying, Preventing, and Treating Childhood Trauma: Before the House Oversight and Reform Committee, 116th Cong. (July 11, 2019) (testimony of Debra Houry, MD, director, National Center for Injury Prevention and Control),  https://www.cdc.gov/washington/testimony/2019/t20190711.htm.

7 Leah Bartos, “Pipeline to Prison May Start with Childhood Trauma,” January 6, 2016, California Health Report,   https://www.calhealthreport.org/2016/01/06/pipeline-to-prison-may-start-with-childhood-trauma.