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Organizational Assessment is the most comprehensive form of technical assistance on the COPS Office Continuum of TA Services. This program provides a voluntary, proactive, non-adversarial vehicle for law enforcement agencies to work with the DOJ to ensure fair, efficient, and effective policing for the communities they serve while ensuring officer safety and wellness.
Program Features
Community Engagement
Engaging the community in a meaningful way throughout the Organizational Assessment process is pivotal to the program’s success. The assessment team will develop a strategy entailing a multifaceted approach to obtain feedback from the community through mechanisms such as listening sessions, focus groups, individual interviews, and other methods of engagement.
Comprehensive Assessment
Assessment Teams will apply standard methods for conducting organizational assessments, including document reviews, interviews, focus groups, direct observations, and data analysis. Assessment teams will work sequentially through topics in collaboration with agencies, with advisement and guidance from a wide variety of stakeholders. In formulating recommendations, assessment teams will be transparent and forthcoming with agencies in the justification for each.
Timely Implementation of Improvements
As areas of need are identified and validated, the agency and the team will immediately work toward implementation while balancing the need for prioritization and connecting interrelated improvements. Implementation will occur on an ongoing basis throughout the process.
Request Assistance
To submit a request under the COPS Office Collaborative Reform Initiative Continuum of Technical Assistance Services, please complete the following:
If you wish to contact the COPS Office Collaborative Reform Initiative team, please email TechnicalAssistance@usdoj.gov or call the COPS Office Response Center at 1-800-421-6770.
Active OA Sites
The COPS Office is currently engaged with the following sites:
Charlottesville, VA, Police Department
The Charlottesville Police Department (CPD) is in the city of Charlottesville, VA. The City of Charlottesville is located in Albemarle County and home to the University of Virginia. The city is approximately 10 square miles and has a population of 45,000, doubling when students return to the University of Virginia for the school year. The CPD is comprised of 153 members: 117 sworn police officers and 36 full-time civilian employees.
- Focus Areas: Through this engagement, the COPS Office has established the following 5 focus areas in collaboration with CPD. For each focus area, the objectives are to provide a comprehensive assessment and assist in the planning and implementation of sustainable organizational improvements.
- Focus Area 1: Community Policing/Problem Solving
- Focus Area 2: Crime Analysis/Crime Prevention
- Focus Area 3: Employee Wellness, Training and Development, and Retention
- Focus Area 4: Resource Analysis and Strategic Planning
- Focus Area 5: Accountability, Oversight, and Evaluation
- Project Status: Findings and recommendations have been developed through a comprehensive assessment and collaboration between the COPS Office, the CPD, and a multidisciplinary team of experts. The implementation of these recommendations will be monitored throughout the course of the program.
- Contact Information: Feedback and inquiries on the CPD Organizational Assessment can be submitted via email crioa+charlottesville@cna.org. Please use the subject line “Charlottesville Police Department OA.”
Hackensack, NJ, Police Department
Hackensack, New Jersey is a municipality in Bergen County and an inner suburb of New York City, located 12 miles from Midtown Manhattan and 7 miles from the George Washington Bridge. The city is approximately 4.35 square miles and has a population of 45,633. The Hackensack Police Department (HPD) is comprised of 137 members: 117 sworn and 20 professional staff.
- Focus Areas: Through this engagement, the COPS Office has established the following 6 focus areas in collaboration with HPD. For each focus area, the objectives are to provide a comprehensive assessment and assist in the planning and implementation of sustainable organizational improvements.
- Focus Area 1: Data-Driven Policing
- Focus Area 2: Employee Wellness, Training, and Professional Development
- Focus Area 3: Community Engagement and Problem-Solving Strategies
- Focus Area 4: Internal and External Communications
- Focus Area 5: Leadership and Organizational Structure
- Focus Area 6: Accountability and Oversight Systems
- Project Status: Assessment Underway
- Contact Information: Feedback and inquiries on the HPD Organizational Assessment can be submitted via email crioa+hackensack@cna.org. Please use the subject line “Hackensack Police Department OA.”
Maryland Department of Natural Resources (DNR) Police
The Maryland Department of Natural Resources (DNR) Police is headquartered in Annapolis, Maryland. Their responsibilities include enforcing fish and wildlife laws and regulations. The DNR patrols 500,000 acres that they own or control, and that land is visited and used by 12 million residents and visitors annually. Maryland DNR also protects Maryland’s recreational boating community from Deep Creek Lake to the Atlantic Ocean through education, enforcement, and outreach. The agency aids boaters in distress and conducts search and rescue on all state waterways, and investigates boating accidents and emergencies. Lastly, they oversee the state’s maritime homeland security efforts, including daily patrols of critical waterfront infrastructure. The Maryland DNR Police is comprised of a total of 275 sworn personnel and 55 non-sworn personnel.
- Focus Areas: Through this engagement, the COPS Office has established the following 6 focus areas in collaboration with the Maryland DNR Police. For each focus area, the objectives are to provide a comprehensive assessment and assist in the planning and implementation of sustainable organizational improvements.
- Focus Area 1: Community Policing
- Focus Area 2: Workforce Development
- Focus Area 3: Strategic Planning
- Focus Area 4: Employee Wellness
- Focus Area 5: Technology, Data, and Organizational Learning
- Focus Area 6: Accountability and Oversight Systems
- Project Status: Assessment Underway
- Contact Information: Feedback and inquiries on the Maryland DNR Police Organizational Assessment can be submitted via email crioa+mdnrp@cna.org. Please use the subject line “Maryland Department of Natural Resources (DNR) Police OA.”
Marysville, KS, Police Department
Marysville, Kansas is a city in, and the county seat of, Marshall County, Kansas, United States. The current population is approximately 3,451 residents and the city encompasses 4.61 square miles of land. The Marysville Police Department (MPD) is a full-service law enforcement agency charged with the responsibility of providing 24-hour police services. The authorized strength of the department is seven sworn police officers and 1 full-time civilian employee for a total of 8 personnel staff.
- Focus Areas: Through this engagement, the COPS Office has established the following 5 focus areas in collaboration with the MPD. For each focus area, the objectives are to provide a comprehensive assessment and assist in the planning and implementation of sustainable organizational improvements.
- Focus Area 1: Community Policing
- Focus Area 2: Workforce Development
- Focus Area 3: Strategic Planning
- Focus Area 4: Employee Wellness
- Focus Area 5: Technology, Data, and Organizational Learning
- Project Status: Assessment Underway
- Contact Information: Feedback and inquiries on the MPD Organizational Assessment can be submitted via email crioa+marysville@cna.org. Please use the subject line “Marysville Police Department OA.”
North Miami, FL Police Department
North Miami is a community of approximately 60,000 residents, located just north of the city of Miami; as of the beginning of 2024, NMPD has 121 sworn personnel and 34 non-sworn personnel.
- Focus Areas: Through this engagement, the COPS Office has established the following 6 focus areas in collaboration with NMPD. For each focus area, the objectives are to provide a comprehensive assessment and assist in the planning and implementation of sustainable organizational improvements.
- Focus Area 1: Crime Prevention and Analysis
- Focus Area 2: Technology
- Focus Area 3: Employee Wellness, Training and Development, and Retention
- Focus Area 4: Resource Analysis and Strategic Planning
- Focus Area 5: Community Engagement
- Focus Area 6: Oversight and Accountability
- Project Status: Findings and recommendations have been developed through a comprehensive assessment and collaboration between the COPS Office, the NMPD, and a multidisciplinary team of experts. The implementation of recommendations will be monitored throughout the course of the program.
- Contact Information: Feedback and inquiries on the NMPD Organizational Assessment can be submitted via email to CRIOA+NorthMiami@cna.org. Please use the subject line “North Miami Police Department OA.”
Sacramento, CA, Police Department
Sacramento, California is the capital city of California and is the largest city in Sacramento County. The city is approximately 98 square miles large and has an estimated current population of 528,000. The Sacramento Police Department (SPD) is comprised of 755 officers and 376 professional staff.
- Focus Areas: Through this engagement, the COPS Office has established the following 5 focus areas in collaboration with the SPD. For each focus area, the objectives are to provide a comprehensive assessment and assist in the planning and implementation of sustainable organizational improvements.
- Focus Area 1: Organizational Structure and Workload Analysis
- Focus Area 2: Civilianization and Alternate Response
- Focus Area 3: Calls for Service Analysis
- Focus Area 4: Community Policing
- Focus Area 5: Technology
- Project Status: Assessment Underway
- Contact Information: Feedback and inquiries on the SPD Organizational Assessment can be submitted via email crioa+sacramento@cna.org. Please use the subject line “Sacramento Police Department OA.”
Closed OA Sites
Dearborn Heights, MI, Police Department
The COPS Office partnered with the Dearborn Heights (Michigan) Police Department (DHPD) to conduct a Collaborative Reform Initiative Organizational Assessment (CRI-OA) focusing on six areas. A multidisciplinary team made up of researchers, practitioners, and subject matter experts worked with the department to evaluate the DHPD, identifying areas for improvement, reinforcing agency strengths, and assisting with the implementation of reforms expeditiously while providing transparency and accountability with routine public reporting. This engagement ran from June 15, 2023 through December 1, 2024.
- Focus Areas:
- Focus Area 1: Community Engagement and Problem-Solving Strategies
- Focus Area 2: Accountability and Oversight Systems
- Focus Area 3: Recruitment, Hiring, Retention, and Promotion Practices
- Focus Area 4: Employee Safety and Wellness
- Focus Area 5: Organizational Learning and Data-Informed Practices
- Focus Area 6: Internal and External Communication
- Project Status: Over the course of the engagement, the team developed a total of 15 findings and a total of 36 recommendations. The DHPD was also provided with a variety of training and technical assistance to assist in the implementation of recommendations and other improvements in each of the focus areas. At the conclusion of the engagement, the agency was continuing to work toward the implementation of the suggested improvements.
- Final Report: A final report documenting the engagement, which includes a complete list of findings and recommendations can be found here. The report also includes an assessment of the status of the findings and recommendations as of the conclusion of the engagement. It also outlines steps that the agency is encouraged to make in order to sustain improvements that have been made.
- Report Link: Dearborn Heights Police Department Organizational Assessment Report: October 2024
Resources
FAQs
All requests must be received from the chief executive of a law enforcement agency or with expressed authorization from the chief executive of the law enforcement agency. Requesting agencies do not need to be a member of any partnering organization to be considered for technical assistance services. Requesting agencies should be from a state, local, county, tribal, campus, or territorial law enforcement agency that has primary enforcement authority and patrol function in its jurisdiction.
Are other services provided beyond those already described?
The COPS Office understands that each technical assistance request is unique and are open to exploring other services should specific needs arise. Please note this is not a grant program and certain costs cannot be supported through this engagement to include agency personnel and equipment needs.
What happens after I submit a request?
- Upon receipt, COPS Office staff will contact you to assess/define the request, discuss the process, obtain additional pertinent information, and align expectations
- The COPS Office will assess your agency’s eligibility and readiness for participation in the program.
- If eligible and ready, we will start the process to develop a work plan. This work plan includes a detailed description of the technical assistance, subject matter experts, and staff assigned to your project. The work plan is subject to your review and concurrence before we move forward.
- Upon finalization of the work plan, we will begin the assessment and technical assistance process. Throughout delivery, we will work closely with your agency, its leadership, and all stakeholders to continue to ensure we are meeting expectations.
