COMMUNITY PARTNERSHIPS

Effective partnerships between law enforcement and community stakeholders are essential to public safety, and it is important that government agencies, community groups, nonprofits, businesses, and private citizens all embrace public safety as a shared responsibility. Law enforcement and community members must develop positive working relationships in order to build enduring solutions and increase trust between the police and the public. The COPS Office provides innovative and creative resources that help law enforcement engage community leaders, build lasting partnerships, and improve the health of our communities.

The seven-minute film, Mitakuye Oyasin, which translates to “we are all related,” will be used by the Oglala Sioux Tribe Department of Public Safety to outline the philosophy of community policing, as envisioned through cultural beliefs, to recruits and the community as a whole. The film, which can be used by other agencies as well, recognizes that officers are an integral part of the community and community policing is a shared responsibility for public safety.

Below Ten: Combating Drugs, Guns, and Human Trafficking at the U.S. Southwest Border
The Below Ten project focused on three cities located on or below Interstate 10 - (1) Nogales, Arizona; (2) Pharr, Texas; and (3) San Diego, California - and their efforts to respond to a wide range of problems related to guns, drugs, and human trafficking. A key component of the project was the series of summits held to develop stakeholder-led plans to respond to the wide range of humanitarian, commercial, and enforcement issues.		 Civilian Oversight of the Police in Major Cities
Since the 1950s, when civilian oversight was first implemented in some American police departments, its use has grown and a variety of new forms have developed.
Lessons to Advance Community Policing: Final Report for 2014 Microgrant Sites
In 2013, the COPS Office launched the Microgrant Initiative for Law Enforcement under the Community Policing Development program to facilitate the implementation or advancement of nationwide community policing efforts and address existing gaps in community policing knowledge and tools.		 Policing the Connected World: Using Social Network Analysis in Police-Community Partnerships
Law enforcement agencies are increasingly using social network analysis (SNA) to understand the organization of gangs and other criminal networks, to identify their relationships, and to analyze data that can be used to focus crime prevention efforts.
Park Ridge's Success Story on Going Beyond Crisis Intervention Team Training: Building Whole-Community Responses to Mental Health
An ongoing concern of today's law enforcement agencies is how to manage officers' increasingly frequent contact with individuals experiencing a mental health crisis and how to do so safely, effectively, and with compassion. To identify best practices, the COPS Office provided funding to the Park Ridge (Illinois) Police Department to pilot a whole-community approach to mental health that extends efforts beyond crisis intervention team training.		 Cross-Deputization in Indian Country
Jurisdiction in Indian country has long been complicated by multifaceted tribal, state, and federal laws, policies, and court decisions, making it difficult for law enforcement to effectively address many types of criminal offenses.
Rescue, Response, and Resilience: A Critical Incident Review of the Orlando Public Safety Response to the Attack on the Pulse Nightclub
This Police Foundation report on the Pulse nightclub shooting attack in June 2016 details multiple aspects of the attack and response, including leadership, collaboration, tactics, equipment, training, emergency medical care, officer safety, public information, and community relationships.		 Policing Issues in Garrison Communities
Describes how agencies can build collaborative relationships and effectively police garrison communities with discussion topics, promising practices, and detailed recommendations in areas such as interoperability of communications, crisis intervention training, and other issues specific to garrison communities.
Promising Practices in Tribal Community Policing
Describes strategies for enhancing or creating programs focused on trust and collaboration with tribal members and government agencies		 Strengthening the Relationship between Law Enforcement and Communities of Color: Developing an Agenda
Summarizes the April 2014 forum in which law enforcement officials, civil rights activists, academic experts, community leaders, and policy makers developed a set of action items to help mend the long fractured relationship between law enforcement and communities of color
Law Enforcement and Public Health: Resources and Strategies for Safer Communities
Documents the discussion at an executive session aimed at exploring how public health approaches and partnerships can help law enforcement practitioners prevent and reduce incidents of violence		 The Collaboration Toolkit for Law Enforcement: Effective Strategies to Partner with the Community
Designed to assist community organizations initiate effective partnerships with their law enforcement agencies and collaborate on solving crime problems at the neighborhood level
Shifting and Sharing Responsibility for Public Safety Problems
Examines how police can persuade private citizens, business, or other government agencies to respond to common crime and disorder problems		 Operation Partnership: Trends and Practices in Law Enforcement and Private Security Collaborations
Intended to help law enforcement and private security organizations develop and operate effective partnerships to address issues of mutual concern
The Collaboration Toolkit for Community Organizations
Outlines how to strengthen partnerships between the community and law enforcement		 Reaching Out to the Private Sector: Building Partnerships and Managing your Workforce
Compiles suggestions and solutions from top criminal justice leaders and Fortune 500 executives on recruitment, retention, organizational transformation, and leadership development
Policing in New Immigrant Communities
Addresses the common challenges that law enforcement agencies face when working with immigrant communities		 Advancing Community Policing Through Community Governance: A Framework Document
Details the community governance philosophy and describes its implementation in five communities across the country
Community Partnerships CD-ROM
Provides resources for community groups and citizens interested in partnering with local law enforcement to promote public safety		 Partnering with Businesses to Address Public Safety Problems
Reviews the impact of crime against business and the roles businesses play in contributing to crime
Making the Match: Law Enforcement, the Faith Community and the Value-Based Initiative
Provides an in-depth look at the challenges and successes of partnerships with law enforcement agencies and faith-based and community organizations		 Bringing Victims into Community Policing
Focuses on the role of crime victims in advancing community policing and includes first responder guides to dealing with victims of crimes
How to Build, Fix, and Sustain Productive Partnerships
Provides practical guidance to law enforcement agencies as they develop and sustain partnerships that support community policing		 Problem-Solving Partnerships: Including the Community for a Change
Summarizes findings from the national evaluation of the COPS Problem-Solving Partnership (PSP) program conducted by the Police Executive Research Forum (PERF)