It’s back! The COPS Office is pleased to announce that the sixth annual Community Policing in Action Photo Contest is now open and accepting submissions.

The contest was piloted in 2014, and each year we have received many heartwarming images of community policing interactions between the law enforcement community and the public.

We are excited to continue the tradition and provide this platform for agencies to share creative and spirited depictions of community policing in action that the public might otherwise not see.

State, local, territorial, and tribal law enforcement agencies are invited to submit one photo that reflects the agency’s positive community engagement and trust building with community members, stakeholders, local government, and others.

The COPS Office will select 12 winning photos to be featured on the COPS Office website and its Twitter and Facebook headers for one month during the 2020 calendar year. The winners may also be featured in this newsletter, the Community Policing Dispatch, as well as in a COPS Office–issued press release.

How It Works

• Select or snap a photo that best conveys your agency’s community policing ethos. Horizontal images are preferred.
• Fill out the required Permission and Release to Law Enforcement Agencies Form and Privacy Consent, Waiver, and Release Authorizing Use and Disclosure of Photographic Image Forms for each recognizable individual.
• Write a brief description of the photo and how it reflects your department’s positive community engagement.
• Email in your complete submission by 8:00 p.m. EST on Monday, November 4, 2019.

The complete contest rules, terms and conditions, and frequently asked questions can be found on our website.

About the Forms

The following legal forms must be included in your agency’s submission in order for the photo to be included in the contest.

• Permission and Release to Law Enforcement Agencies Form:
  • The Permission and Release Form must be signed by the law enforcement agency. The form certifies that the agency secured all Photograph Consent, Waiver, and Release forms for all recognizable individuals, and the form grants the DOJ a license to use the photo for Federal Government purposes. 
• Privacy Consent, Waiver, and Release Authorizing Use and Disclosure of Photographic Image Form:
  • The Privacy Consent, Waiver and Release Form must be signed by each recognizable individual in the photo. The form contains required Privacy Act consent provisions and authorizes the DOJ to use the individual’s image for Federal Government purposes.
• Please see our website to obtain these required forms and for more important details about complete submissions.

Photos must be submitted by 8:00 p.m. EST on Monday, November 4, 2019, via email. Winners will be notified no later than December 27, 2019, by email. All reproductions of the image will include the photo credit information provided.

For questions regarding the contest, please see the Frequently Asked Questions on the COPS Office website, or email us.