Organizational Assessment is the most comprehensive form of technical assistance on the COPS Office Continuum of TA Services. This program provides a proactive, nonadversarial vehicle for law enforcement agencies to work with the DOJ to ensure fair, impartial, and effective policing for the communities they serve.

COPS Collaborative Reform Initiative Organizational Assessment Webinar

 

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, with advisement and guidance from a diverse array of stakeholders. In formulating recommendations for reform, assessment teams will be transparent and forthcoming in the justification for each.


Timely Implementation of Reforms

 

As reforms are identified and validated, the agency and the team will immediately work toward implementation while balancing the need for prioritization and connecting interrelated reforms. Implementation will occur on an ongoing basis throughout the process.


Routine Public Reporting

 

To ensure transparency, status reports will be regularly published throughout the engagement on a COPS Office site-specific web page. Reporting will be succinct and focused on the work and outcomes of the engagement.


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

 

Closed OA Sites

 
View Closed OA Sites

As the COPS Office closes out a site, those sites will be added in this section.

Resources

 

FAQs


Who can request assistance?

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 other factors could impact my technical assistance request?

As a matter of standard practice, technical assistance requests involving matters where there are active state, local, or federal investigations pending, or that are the subject or potential subject of litigation, are unlikely to be approved.

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.