Homeland Security and Public Safety Division Archive

This issue brief examines state cyber disruption response plans that governors are developing and testing in preparation for cyberattacks that demand coordination across state agencies.

The Homeland Security & Public Safety Division has assembled best practices for governors and their homeland security policy staff in A Governor’s Guide to Homeland Security. This guide covers fundamentals in homeland ...

While the opioid overdose epidemic justifiably dominates national and state-level headlines, a significant issue is re-emerging for governors and policymakers across the country: cocaine, methamphetamine (meth) and ...

Developed by the NGA Center through a survey and extensive consultation with senior state officials and other national experts, our new opioid "Reference Guide for New Administrations" highlights key questions, ...

The white paper is a result of a roundtable discussion that was held last fall with states that had declared emergencies in the context of the opioid epidemic.

With 39 states reporting an increase in traffic fatalities in 2016, traffic safety policy, programs and practices remain a pressing concern across the nation—and governors are an essential part of the solution. State ...

In many states, governors have led bipartisan juvenile justice reform to improve youth outcomes and public safety. Guiding those efforts are: a better understanding of brain development; recent U.S. Supreme Court decisions; ...

The most critical element to ensuring interoperability of emergency communications tools and a highly functioning emergency communications ecosystem is a strong governance body that spans disciplines and levels of ...

Policy makers looking to reduce the abuse of prescription opioids face difficult decisions in selecting which of the many interventions will best fit their jurisdictions. Using Data and Evaluation in Policy Development, ...

Public health disasters, like natural or manmade disasters, have the potential to overwhelm a state’s emergency response capabilities resulting in widespread injury or loss of life. While public health threats may not ...

Governors play a critical role in ensuring public safety and they oversee the state agencies responsible for implementing those policies and programs, such as corrections, state police, and juvenile justice. To help them ...

Fusion centers were created after the 9/11 terrorist attacks to facilitate the type of multi-jurisdictional information sharing needed to prevent another strike on the homeland.