WASHINGTON, DC - In support of National Community Policing Week, the Department of Justice, Office of Community Oriented Policing Services (COPS Office) is releasing publications ranging from discussion guides to spur community engagements to summaries of law enforcement executives’ conversations regarding the President’s Task Force on 21st Century Policing.

In his proclamation, the President stated, “During National Community Policing Week, we reaffirm our commitment to supporting and advancing the practice of community policing and to fortifying the bonds between police officers and communities. Community policing recognizes that law enforcement cannot solve public safety problems alone and encourages interactive partnerships with relevant stakeholders – including community groups, nonprofits, faith-based organizations, and businesses.” 

Please visit the COPS Office website at www.cops.usdoj.gov, like the COPS Office Facebook page, or follow the COPS Office on Twitter for updates on the publications.

Discussions on the Task Force on 21st Century Policing captures discussions at three roundtable sessions hosted by the Major Cities Police Chiefs Association on the work of the final report of the President’s Task Force on 21st Century Policing and how agencies can build on it to improve policing.

Beyond the Badge: Profile of a School Resource Officer follows Officer Cockrell during a school day at Central Middle School in Riverview Gardens, six months after the police shooting and protests that left North St. Louis County reeling. The story focuses on Cockrell’s efforts to build relationships, listen to students address fear of the police in a school town hall, mentor young people on how to deal with conflicts, and work with his colleagues to respond to and support a student whose father is murdered. The new Law Enforcement and Community Viewer discussion guides offer leadership strategies and actionable tactics to help law enforcement agencies work with community partners.

The Salt Lake City Police Department Homeless Outreach Street Team (HOST) Program report covers the three primary components of the Salt Lake City Police Department’s HOST program: donations to homeless service providers, the homeless support group, and collaborative street outreach. The program evaluation is also extremely useful for departments considering homeless outreach efforts.

The COPS Office, headed by Director Ronald Davis, is a federal agency responsible for advancing community policing nationwide. Since 1995, COPS has invested more than $14 billion to advance community policing, including grants awarded to more than 13,000 state, local, and tribal law enforcement agencies to fund the hiring and redeployment of more than 129,000 officers and provide a variety of knowledge resource products including publications, training, and technical assistance. For additional information about COPS, please visit www.cops.usdoj.gov.