Welcome

Welcome to the Bureau of Justice Assistance’s (BJA) online training for Responding to First Amendment-Protected Events—The Role of State and Local Law Enforcement Officers. This site provides videos designed to assist law enforcement personnel in:

  • Understanding their roles and responsibilities as they prepare for and respond to a First Amendment-protected event.
  • Protecting the privacy, civil rights, and civil liberties of persons and groups participating in a First Amendment-protected event.
  • Reinforcing fundamental concepts learned at law enforcement training academies and during in-service programs.

When responding to First Amendment-protected events, whether a planned demonstration or a grassroots-developed protest, law enforcement officers must understand their roles and responsibilities. BJA with the support of the Global Justice Information Sharing Initiative (Global) and the Criminal Intelligence Coordinating Council, developed the following videos to assist agency leadership in providing training to officers and agency personnel as they prepare for and respond to a First Amendment-protected event in a manner that diligently protects the privacy, civil rights, and civil liberties of persons and groups.

Training Versions

Training Video (Earn a Certificate)
Your Role in Protecting Privacy, Civil Rights, and Civil Liberties

This training video (8:15 minutes in length) is designed to provide an overview to help law enforcement personnel prepare for and respond to a First Amendment-protected event and understand the privacy, civil rights, and civil liberties issues associated with a First Amendment-protected event. A short quiz will follow the end of the video with the option to print a certificate of completion.

Line Officer Roll Call Video
First Amendment—The Role of Law Enforcement

The shorter line officer roll call video (3:31 minutes in length) provides an introductory overview of law enforcement personnel's roles and responsibilities at a First Amendment-protected event. This version is designed to be used during roll call and pre-event briefings.

Additional Resources

In addition to the training videos, BJA—with the support of Global—released numerous resources to assist agencies in the ongoing protection of privacy, civil rights, and civil liberties. These resources may be found on the BJA website at Global Privacy Resources.