The U.S. Department of Justice, Office of Community Oriented Policing Services (COPS Office) recognizes that law enforcement agencies need rapid assistance and resources as they respond to COVID-19. Through its premier technical assistance center, the Collaborative Reform Initiative for Technical Assistance Center (CRI-TAC), the COPS Office is mobilizing to meet those needs.

CRI-TAC, led by the International Association of Chiefs of Police and eight leading law enforcement stakeholder associations—Fraternal Order of Police, FBI National Academy Associates, Inc., International Association of Campus Law Enforcement Administrators, International Association of Directors of Law Enforcement Standards and Training, National Organization of Black Law Enforcement Executives, National Association of Women Law Enforcement Executives, National Sheriffs’ Association (NSA), and the National Tactical Officers Association—has launched the COVID-19 Library of Resources. This directory is a searchable library of agency policies, standard operating procedures, fact sheets, press releases, special orders, training documents, and other COVID-19–related materials. This tool will allow law enforcement to share important guidance with one another on issues such as risk mitigation, communication, and officer safety.

Through CRI-TAC, the NSA is immediately providing resources and assistance to sheriffs and jail administrators on COVID-19. The NSA has established a team of subject matter experts, the COVID-19 Communication Cell, which has launched a COVID-19 information clearinghouse of all pertinent resources and is facilitating conference calls and hosting webinars to promote information-sharing with the field. The NSA is creating a number of resources on topics such as jail mitigation, scams and fraud, and personal protective equipment, with the goal of widely disseminating them through the information clearinghouse.

In addition to the above resources, CRI-TAC is working on the following activities:

• Developing considerations on what to do when law enforcement are exposed to or sick with COVID-19.
• Developing public safety communication guidance on communicating risk to the general public.
• Tracking the impact on forensic analysis teams and their ability to stay safe.
• Developing considerations on the use of law enforcement volunteers, cadets, recruits, and retirees during COVID-19.
• Developing tools and considerations on fraud.
• Developing considerations on officer safety and community relations when law enforcement respond to a COVID-19 death scene.
• Developing tools and considerations for normalizing operations post-COVID-19, especially on college and university campuses.
• Hosting webinars to address a number of areas including jails, fraud, and risk mitigation.

As resources are developed, they will be added to the COVID-19 Library of Resources.

Additionally, CRI-TAC partners are actively working with the CDC on guidance and information, especially regarding jails. Review the current CDC guidelines on what law enforcement personnel need to know about COVID-19 and interim CDC guidelines for correctional and detention facilities.

CRI-TAC is actively documenting the impact of the virus on local law enforcement, including crime, officer safety, officer stress, equipment needs, and other public safety issues. If you have a story to share, please email COVID19@theiacp.org.

Finally, CRI-TAC is offering direct COVID-19 technical assistance to state, local, tribal, and campus law enforcement agencies as needed, in addition to the normal CRI-TAC technical assistance. CRI-TAC can offer rapid, short-term, remote technical assistance for agencies that need expert assistance from others in the field. To learn more and submit a request, please visit the COPS Office Collaborative Reform website.

Nazmia E.A. Comrie
Senior Program Specialist
The COPS Office

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