Abstract: The relevance of studying the issues surrounding the use of firearms by police officers is currently a widely discussed topic. This is primarily linked to various events aimed at ensuring national security, maintaining public order and citizen safety, as well as improving the professional training of law enforcement officers, who are guarantors of individual safety and protectors of the constitutional framework of the Russian Federation. Despite this, the situation in society worsens each year, with criminal methods becoming more sophisticated and brutal, necessitating the improvement of the legal mechanism in the existing context. The issues raised are essential to provide law enforcement officers with legal protection while carrying out their official duties against illegal actions by criminals. The article also addresses the improvement of Russian legislation regarding the use of firearms by police officers to implement personal safety measures and maintain public order, with the aim of enhancing their effectiveness in resolving operational and service tasks while performing their official duties. During the research, federal laws and regulatory legal acts of the Russian Federation were studied. Theoretical and empirical research methods, such as analysis, synthesis, abstraction, analogy, observation, comparison, and generalization, were applied. The study revealed existing problems in the field of law enforcement activities. One of the priority issues in this area is the use of firearms by law enforcement officers while performing their immediate official duties, during which it is necessary to take into account situations where legal protection for officers is required when addressing various operational service tasks related to ensuring law and order and citizen safety. Therefore, to address this issue, it is crucial to enhance the regulatory legal framework in this area, as well as to introduce modern innovative technologies into the training system of law enforcement officers, thereby increasing their level of professional training for the effective and lawful use of firearms in the course of their official activities. The results of the research allowed for the identification of the main problems and solutions related to the use of firearms by law enforcement officers while carrying out their official duties in the course of their service activities.

Keywords: police officer, firearms, official activities, operational-official task, necessary defense, job responsibilities, regulatory legal acts, personal safety, public safety, maintaining law and order

Abstract: The object of the study is the institution of exemption from criminal liability in Russian law. The subject, in turn, comprises the discretionary grounds for exemption from criminal liability and the mechanisms of their application in light of the articles of the Criminal Code of the Russian Federation that provide for the corresponding grounds and judicial practice. The aim of the research is to identify the content and limits of discretion in making decisions on exemption and to propose a replicable model of law enforcement. Special attention is paid to the essence of discretion in exemption from criminal liability, the analysis of the content of the sub-institution of discretionary exemption from criminal liability, based on the examination of each ground separately. The issue of mediated discretion present in the new provision of the Criminal Code of the Russian Federation, which establishes exemption from criminal liability during mobilization, is also addressed. The methodological basis of the research includes general scientific methods such as analysis, synthesis, induction, and deduction, as well as special legal methods, including formal-legal, systemic-structural, and comparative-legal methods. The main conclusion of the research is the statement that discretionary grounds for exemption from criminal liability operate according to a two-tier model, which presupposes the establishment of corresponding facts and their legal assessment. The research reveals the heterogeneity of discretion, attributed to the presence of so-called "double discretion," as well as mediated discretion. The scientific novelty lies in revealing discretion in exemption from criminal liability. The fact of varying volumes of discretion is demonstrated concerning different norms that provide for the corresponding grounds for exemption. A clear procedure is proposed: establish facts – verify the formal conditions of the norm – assess the factors – choose the aim and norm – provide a detailed justification for the decision. The practical significance lies in increasing the predictability of decisions and reducing the risk of arbitrariness without losing the individualization of the response.

Keywords: Release from liability, discretion of the court, discretionary grounds, individualization, active repentance, reconciliation with the victim, judicial fine, loss of public danger, compensation for harm, competition of grounds

Abstract: The subject of this article is the process of collecting physical evidence (weapons, ammunition, explosive devices, debris, traces of explosions, biological traces, documents, etc.) in the specific conditions of active combat zones. The goal of the presented article is to develop, analyze, and improve the principles, methods, and organizational-tactical schemes for the effective, safe, and legally correct collection of physical evidence in the extreme conditions of modern warfare. The proposals developed in the article improve the efficiency, safety, and legal significance of the process of collecting physical evidence in modern conflicts, which is critically important for subsequent investigations of war crimes, establishing the truth, and ensuring justice. The object of study in this article is the system of practical measures, methods, and structures that ensure the identification, documentation, and seizure of this evidence in the extreme conditions of modern combat. The specialized investigative and operational groups (SOG) proposed by the author are the core of the organizational model presented within this object. The methodological basis of this scientific work consists of both general scientific theoretical research methods, including analysis, induction, deduction, analogy, generalization, comparison, and abstraction, as well as the identification and systematization of specific difficulties and risks of evidence collection in combat zones. The scientific novelty of the work lies in the development of a holistic institutional model of specialized investigative and operational groups, a fundamentally new approach for working directly in the active combat zone. Collecting physical evidence in combat zones is associated with unique, extremely high risks and difficulties that require special approaches, markedly different from peaceful conditions. Effective solutions to the problem are only possible through the creation of permanent, highly mobile, specialized investigative and operational groups adapted to work in combat zones. The establishment of such groups is not only feasible but also critically necessary to hold accountable those responsible for military and public criminal offenses committed in conflict zones and to maintain law and order under these conditions. This article may be of interest to investigative units, operational services working in conflict zones, and experts involved in field inspections or working with evidence from combat zones.

Keywords: investigative actions, inspection of the scene of the crime, armed conflict, investigation of crimes, preliminary investigation, material evidence, investigative task force, criminal expert, IT specialist, recording of evidence

Abstract: The subject of the research is the theoretical and practical problems of developing a methodology for investigating official crimes (Chapter 30 of the Criminal Code of the Russian Federation). The patterns of criminal activity of officials under the conditions of digitalization and the increase in registered crimes since 2021 are analyzed. The structure and dynamics of official crime from 2010 to 2024 are examined, revealing correlational links between abuse of power, bribery, and forgery (in 65% of cases). The personality of a typical offender is characterized: a head of a municipal authority, a man aged 40–50 years (28.7% have a legal education). The foreign experience of investigating corruption is considered (on the example of the USA and the UK). The scientific significance is determined by the need to update specific forensic methodologies. The practical significance lies in recommendations to improve the effectiveness of investigative activities in a digital environment. The methodological foundation comprises a set of general scientific and specific scientific methods of cognition: formal-legal, comparative-legal, statistical, and sociological. The empirical base consists of data from the Main Information and Analytical Center of the Ministry of Internal Affairs of Russia and the Judicial Department of the Supreme Court of the Russian Federation for 2010–2024, materials from 200 criminal cases, and 120 court decisions. The scientific novelty of the research lies in the development of conceptual foundations for an integrative methodology for investigating official crimes, taking into account their systemic nature and the fact that in 65% of cases they are committed in conjunction with other offenses (service forgery, bribery, theft). Unlike existing specialized approaches, the need for a transition to a comprehensive analysis of interrelated criminal acts within a single legal proceeding is substantiated. For the first time, based on a representative empirical base (200 criminal cases), the typical profile of an official offender is updated: a man aged 40–50 years, head of a municipal authority, in 28.7% of cases possessing higher legal education, which determines a high degree of procedural resistance and requires special tactical preparation from the investigator. A stable trend of growth in registered official crimes since 2021 has been identified (from 30.6 thousand to 35.6 thousand in 2024), with a further increase in their number projected to reach 41.5 thousand by 2027.

Keywords: official crimes, investigation methodology, criminalistic characteristics, corruption, bribery, official forgery, offender profile, counteraction to investigation, investigative situations, digital transformation

Abstract: The article is dedicated to a comprehensive analysis of the "broken windows" theory (J. Wilson and J. Kelling, 1982) as a concept for regulating public order in the context of modern megacities. The main focus is on examining the applicability of this theory in various sociocultural contexts—from its original American model to attempts at adaptation in Russian and Japanese realities. The central subject of analysis is the contradiction between the declared effectiveness of the theory (reducing fear of crime through control over visual disorder) and its methodological limitations, including the neglect of deep socioeconomic factors of crime. We paid special attention to the limitations of its applicability, particularly in analyzing contemporary challenges such as cybercrime. Our goal is to offer a new perspective on the use of the theory for law enforcement agencies, emphasizing the subjective perception of security by society. In our research, we applied a combined methodology that includes analysis of literary sources, empirical data, a comparative approach to the effectiveness of the "broken windows" theory in various social and cultural contexts, as well as an assessment of its practical application in modern conditions, including the Russian context. The theory reduces the causes of crime to visual markers (graffiti, trash), ignoring their socioeconomic nature, such as structural inequality and class character. This makes it predominantly applicable only to street crime, leaving areas of contemporary criminal activity, such as cybercrime, underexplored. Despite its limitations, the theory retains its relevance through the evaluation and implementation of informal norms that influence the perception of security. For example, the development of connections between law enforcement agencies and local communities proves to be key to strengthening citizens' trust in the police, which directly affects the level of subjective safety. The introduction of a victimization index and standardization of public opinion assessment methods can increase the effectiveness of criminological research in Russia and make it more oriented towards the real needs of communities. Additionally, a more flexible policy for accounting for intercultural and local peculiarities is required, which could improve the implementation of preventive measures through consideration of the specifics of each neighborhood and adaptive patrol services.

Keywords: criminology, street crime, Crime and Visual Markers, broken windows theory, Social Perception of Safety, Methodological Limitations, Spatial Organization of Safety, Public Order Prevention, Urban Design and Crime Prevention, Social Psychology of Crime

Abstract: The author conducts a detailed study of the professional service and physical training of employees of the internal affairs bodies of the Russian Federation, specifically focusing on the content of training sessions in firearms preparation. This includes defining the requirements for the readiness of police officers when performing operational and service tasks. Additionally, the author analyzes the performance of police officers in shooting exercises with the Makarov pistol and identifies components that reflect a low level of firearms training compared to the model characteristics obtained from the most well-trained police officers. The object of the study is the professional service and physical training of police officers. The subject of the study is firearms training, which is included in the section on professional service and physical training. The aim of the research is to identify significant differences in the elements of shooting technique with the Makarov pistol from various distances. The research methods include the analysis of scientific and methodological literature and documentary sources, pedagogical testing, and methods of mathematical statistics. The scientific novelty of the research lies in the determination of kinematic indicators of shooting and the identification of weaknesses in the firearms training of police officers. The data obtained during the study with police officers showed changes in the components of the shooting exercise that assess the level of firearms training at various distances, including the identification of technical elements that require improvement in accordance with model values. The kinematic indicators obtained in the proposed shooting exercise, performed by both women and men, allowed us to identify components that require immediate enhancement during the professional service and physical training of police officers. The main technical elements of pedagogical impact during training sessions with police officers are the time taken to make shots and the sporting-technical result, while additional elements include the time taken to change magazines and the rate of fire.

Keywords: level of preparedness, police officers, firearms training, control, assessment, shooting exercise, Makarov pistol, kinematic indicators, shooting, educational classes

Abstract: The physical fitness of law enforcement personnel is a crucial aspect of their professional activity, as the level of physical conditioning often affects not only the effectiveness of performing official duties but also the safety of both the personnel and the citizens they are tasked to protect. CrossFit, as a training method within the educational framework of departmental higher education institutions, represents a relevant challenge that requires a comprehensive approach. The object of the study is the educational process in departmental higher education institutions, specifically the conduct of physical training classes. The subject of the study is the methods and approaches to integrating CrossFit training into the physical training process, aimed at improving the physical fitness of law enforcement cadets. The goal of the research is to analyze the integration of CrossFit training into the educational process of departmental higher education institutions. During the writing of this article, the authors conducted a pedagogical experiment at the Kuzbass Institute of the Federal Penitentiary Service of Russia and the Academy of Law and Management of the Federal Penitentiary Service of Russia. The scientific novelty of the research is determined by the search for optimal approaches to organizing physical training classes in departmental higher education institutions, which, in turn, should contribute to enhancing the overall preparedness of personnel to fulfill official tasks and improve the quality of law enforcement activities. Within the framework of their research, the authors conclude that the incorporation of CrossFit training into the educational process is a step forward in the physical preparation of future law enforcement officers. The conducted research will be of interest to specialists studying the training issues of cadets in departmental educational organizations and may serve as a basis for updating the curricula and educational and methodological materials related to the physical training of cadets.

Keywords: cadet, instructor, training, Federal Penitentiary Service of Russia, crossfit, methodology, workout, departmental university, law enforcement agencies, class

Abstract: Physical training plays a key role in the shooting training process, especially in the context of departmental universities, where the preparation of future officers requires not only theoretical knowledge but also practical skills that ensure high efficiency in performing professional tasks. In today's realities, where demands for the qualifications of specialists are constantly growing, the necessity of integrating physical training into the educational process is becoming increasingly relevant. Departmental universities that prepare personnel for law enforcement agencies face the challenge of developing not only professional knowledge among cadets but also physical endurance, strength, coordination, and other qualities that contribute to the successful fulfillment of official duties. In the article, the authors propose a methodology for improving shooting readiness within the framework of educational activities. The conducted pedagogical experiment reflects the effectiveness of the method. As part of the research, the authors carried out a pedagogical experiment at the Nizhny Novgorod Academy of the Russian Ministry of Internal Affairs. Two educational groups (control and experimental) were selected for the experiment. As a result of the research, the authors concluded that physical training contributes to improved shooting quality. The ability to control one's body, adapt to various physical loads, and enhance physical condition positively impacts shooting results. Optimizing the shooting training process through physical training requires a comprehensive approach. It is important that physical training is not an isolated part of the education but is integrated into the overall educational process. This can be achieved by modifying the educational and methodological material, by including this type of training in the main part of the lesson. Such an approach will create a unified system aimed at the comprehensive development of cadets and achieving high results in shooting, as well as improving the quality of specialist training.

Keywords: cadet, instructor, shooting, Federal Penitentiary Service of Russia, Ministry of Internal Affairs of Russia, physical training, employee, departmental university, training, exercise