The COPS Office is excited to announce that the widely anticipated Community Policing in Action Photo Contest is now open and accepting submissions! This contest is an opportunity for law enforcement agencies to showcase photos that highlight positive interactions and relationship-building with the communities they serve.

Contest Overview

State, local, territorial, and tribal law enforcement agencies are invited to submit one photo that reflects the agency’s positive community engagement with community members, stakeholders, local government, and others. The complete contest Rules, Terms, and Conditions and Frequently Asked Questions can be found on the photo contest website.

The COPS Office will select approximately twelve (12) winning photos that may be showcased as headers on the COPS Office Twitter and Facebook pages and on the homepage of the COPS Office website. Winning agencies may also be featured in an article in the COPS Office e-newsletter, the CP Dispatch, or a COPS Office–issued press release. There is no cash award or other prize for this photo contest.

Submissions will be accepted through Friday, November 1, 2024, at 8:00 p.m. ET.

How to Enter

Here are the steps for submitting an entry:

1. Select or snap a photo that best conveys your agency’s community policing in action.
   • Please note that horizontal images are preferred.
   • Photo may include community members of all ages; however, we highly encourage photos depicting positive interactions with adults.
   • All pictured officers recognizable in the photo must be in good standing.
2. Fill out the following mandatory forms:*
   • Permission and Release to Law Enforcement Agencies Form for the image.
   • Privacy Consent, Waiver, and Release Authorizing Use and Disclosure of Photographic Image Form(s) for each recognizable individual.

   *Submissions will not be accepted without the Permission and Release form and the Privacy Consent, Waiver, and Release form(s). Need more information about the forms? Check out our FAQ.

3. Include the following background information for the image:
   • A brief description of the photo (including the month and year that the photo was taken)
   • An explanation of how it reflects your department’s positive community engagement
   • Photo credit (examples: “Photo courtesy of [name of law enforcement agency]” or “Photo taken by [name of photographer]”)
4. Email in your complete submission by 8:00 PM ET on Friday, November 1, 2024.

About the Forms

All legal forms must be included in your agency’s submission for the photo to be included in the contest. You may be disqualified if you do not submit these forms or fill them out properly.

• Permission and Release to Law Enforcement Agencies Form: An authorized law enforcement representative must sign this form. By signing this form, the agency confirms the following:
  • It owns the copyright to the image (or has obtained the necessary permission(s) from the copyright owner—please include photo credit).
  • The agency grants the DOJ authority to use the image in any media format for Federal Government purposes.
• Privacy Consent, Waiver, and Release Authorizing Use and Disclosure of Photographic Image Form(s): All recognizable individuals within the photo must sign this form. By signing this form, the individual confirms the following:
  • The DOJ is authorized to use their photographic image for Federal Government purposes.
  • The individual consents to disclosing their photographic image to the public.

Please see our contest Rules, Terms, and Conditions for more important details about the forms.

For updates on the contest, please subscribe to COPS Office email notifications and follow us on Facebook and . Email tartellcops@usdoj.gov with any questions.

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