WASHINGTON, D.C. - The Department of Justice, Office of Community Oriented Policing Services (COPS Office) today announced the release of two reports pertaining to the Collaborative Reform Initiative for Technical Assistance (CRI-TA) program. Both reports were prepared by the Crime and Justice Institute at Community Resources for Justice.

The first report, The Collaborative Reform Initiative Process: Experiences of Selected Sites, examines how the collaborative reform process worked in seven participating law enforcement agencies. The report highlights what worked well in these agencies, as well as the areas in need of improvement. Most notably, the report finds that this new and innovative model can be an effective tool in supporting local police agencies undertaking a reform and offers several recommendations for improvement.

“The key ingredient in CRI-TA is the willingness of local law enforcement leaders to take an introspective look at their operations and make the changes necessary to achieve excellence in 21st Century Policing,” said COPS Director Ronald Davis. “In asking for this review, the COPS Office is following the example of our CRI-TA sites.”

The second report, The Collaborative Reform Initiative and the Las Vegas Metropolitan Police Department: A Catalyst for Change, is an in-depth analysis of the long-term impact of the collaborative reform process on the Las Vegas Metropolitan Police Department (LVMPD), which was the first site selected for assistance under the program. Reviewers found that the Collaborative Reform Initiative has been an important catalyst for meaningful and sustained change at the LVMPD, and that the message and priorities of collaborative reform have successfully permeated the entire department.

The Collaborative Reform Initiative for Technical Assistance was launched in 2011 to provide technical assistance to agencies facing significant law enforcement-related issues. Using subject matter experts, interviews and direct observations, as well as conducting extensive research and analysis, the COPS Office assists law enforcement agencies with enhancing and improving their policies and procedures, their operating systems and their professional culture. The COPS Office can then issue a series of recommendations and be instrumental in assisting agencies with the implementation of those recommendations.

The Collaborative Reform Initiative Process: Experiences of Selected Sites is available here: http://ric-zai-inc.com/ric.php?page=detail&id=COPS-W0835.

Assessment of the Collaborative Reform Initiative in the Las Vegas Metropolitan Police Department: A Catalyst for Change is available here: http://ric-zai-inc.com/ric.php?page=detail&id=COPS-W0834.

The COPS Office, headed by Director Ronald Davis, is a federal agency responsible for advancing community policing nationwide. Since 1995, the COPS Office 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 approximately 129,000 officers and provide a variety of knowledge resource products including publications, training and technical assistance.

For additional information about the COPS Office, please visit www.cops.usdoj.gov.