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In December 2014, the President's Task Force on 21st Century Policing was established. The Task Force resolved to identify best practices and make recommendations on how policing practices can promote effective crime reduction while building public trust. They examined how to foster strong, collaborative relationships between local law enforcement and the communities they serve. Their… (read more)

In a collaborative effort, the National Association for the Advancement of Colored People (NAACP), the National Organization of Black Law Enforcement Executives (NOBLE) and Allstate Insurance Company have joined together to develop The Law and You: Guidelines for Interacting with Law Enforcement Officials. This guide offers suggested procedures to follow if you are stopped by a police officer or… (read more)

In recent years, immigration enforcement has become a sensitive political issue at the local, state, and federal levels. State legislation supporting stricter immigration enforcement and highly publicized news stories of deportations, travel bans, and family separations have caused many immigrants to live in fear and to view law enforcement agencies at all levels warily. This political… (read more)

After a discussion of the current literature on foot patrol and a brief description of the methodology used in the present study, this report presents a series of case studies on the five participating agencies describing what the agencies are doing with foot patrol and how they are doing it. Following these site descriptions, the report discusses several salient themes related to foot patrol… (read more)

"In July 2016, President Obama held a town hall meeting to discuss race and policing in the U.S. The meeting recognized that the national climate surrounding police shootings involving people of color and the retaliation against law enforcement had escalated to a point where leadership was needed. Many police chiefs at Historically Black Colleges and Universities (HBCUs) also recognized that… (read more)

"In July 2016, President Obama held a town hall meeting to discuss race and policing in the U.S. The meeting recognized that the national climate surrounding police shootings involving people of color and the retaliation against law enforcement had escalated to a point where leadership was needed. Many police chiefs at Historically Black Colleges and Universities (HBCUs) also recognized that… (read more)

This is a compilation of available best practices, educational materials, news, publications, training, and toolkits to assist college and university campuses to improve community relations. Trust is the foundation of a successful partnership or relationship between public safety organizations and the diverse and multicultural communities they serve. These relationships are essential to the… (read more)

On October 22, 2015, eighteen campus public safety executives from thirteen institutions of higher education (IHE), with support from the National Center for Campus Public Safety (NCCPS), gathered for a one-day emerging issues forum. The group convened as part of the NCCPS's role to be a nationwide resource for addressing critical issues in campus safety. The purpose of the forum was to identify… (read more)

On October 22, 2015, eighteen campus public safety executives from thirteen institutions of higher education (IHE), with support from the National Center for Campus Public Safety (NCCPS), gathered for a one-day emerging issues forum. The group convened as part of the NCCPS's role to be a nationwide resource for addressing critical issues in campus safety. The purpose of the forum was to identify… (read more)

Recent events in Ferguson, New York, and Baltimore have led law enforcement agencies to rethink how they can build and maintain trust, confidence, and satisfaction with the communities that they serve, especially communities of color. As agencies embrace this challenge, they may need resources to update their training and professional development. In collaboration with the Northern Virginia… (read more)

PERF police chiefs and their community representatives came together for a national discussion on the challenges of police-community trust. The community leaders and police chiefs provided constructive ideas about improving police-community relationships. Police agencies across the nation can use this report to guide their efforts in building trust with their communities.

Creating a safe community at your college or university involves managing external relations and off-campus conduct. Off-campus community issues such as loud parties, noise complaints, alcohol and drug abuse, and disorderly or violent student conduct cannot be reduced or resolved with a reactive approach alone. It is vital for campus public safety, local law enforcement, administrators, and other… (read more)

In December 2014, the President's Task Force on 21st Century Policing was established to identify best practices and make recommendations on how policing practices can promote effective crime reduction while building public trust. To inform its work, the task force facilitated seven listening sessions, hearing testimony from 140 witnesses and reviewing volumes of written testimony, and submitted… (read more)

The goal of this toolkit is to help law enforcement agencies accomplish the following objectives: strengthen partnerships between law enforcement and the community, further the community's role as a partner in crime reduction efforts, identify and address social issues that diminish the quality of life and threaten public safety in communities, and link those in need to services and resources… (read more)

Strengthening the Relationship between Law Enforcement and Communities of Color: Developing an Agenda is a summary of a forum the Office of Community Oriented Policing Services (COPS Office) hosted with law enforcement officials, civil right activists, academic experts, community leaders, and policy makers at the Ford Foundation in New York City. This meeting focused on identifying what can be… (read more)

This guide is intended as a reference for those who are interested in implementing a problem-solving approach and contains information and insights into the process of reducing crime and disorder through problem-solving partnerships. It takes the reader step by step through solving problems, offers examples of problem-solving from the field, and provides additional resources.

In December 2014, the President's Task Force on 21st Century Policing was established. The Task Force resolved to identify best practices and make recommendations on how policing practices can promote effective crime reduction while building public trust. They examined how to foster strong, collaborative relationships between local law enforcement and the communities they serve. Their… (read more)

Understanding the challenges that public perceptions of small unmanned aircraft systems (sUAS) bring, the Police Foundation, in partnership with the U.S. Department of Justice, Office of Community Oriented Policing Services (COPS), developed this guidebook to help public safety agencies successfully assess the appropriateness of acquiring sUAS in their jurisdiction, all the while ensuring public… (read more)

The Community Policing Learning Portal provides, free of charge, community policing training and tools to law enforcement, citizens, COPS grantees and community policing instructors. The purpose of the portal is to encourage the advancement and institutionalization of community policing within law enforcement agencies and communities nationwide by providing easy-to-use, interactive online… (read more)

The Campus-Community Policing Partnership (CCPP) model is a road map for historically black colleges and universities (HBCU) and law enforcement agencies to reduce violent crime and drug use on HBCU campuses and the surrounding communities by increasing community engagement and strengthening relations between police and community members. The model is designed to help HBCUs and law enforcement… (read more)

This training program, developed by noted campus safety and threat assessment experts, is the first ever national curriculum that focuses on a multidisciplinary approach to threat assessment. It has been specifically designed for higher education administrators involved in threat assessment on their campuses, including campus public safety and local law enforcement; faculty; staff; student… (read more)

This training program, developed by noted campus safety and threat assessment experts, is the first ever national curriculum that focuses on a multidisciplinary approach to threat assessment. It has been specifically designed for higher education administrators involved in threat assessment on their campuses, including campus public safety and local law enforcement; faculty; staff; student… (read more)

This guide will allow threat assessment team members to explore and practice threat assessment through small and large group exercises using pre-developed case studies. This guide will also strengthen team members' comprehension and application of the threat assessment principles proscribed in "Campus Threat Assessment Training: A Multidisciplinary Approach for Institutions of Higher Education,"… (read more)

This document provides information about the BCOT initiative; highlights outreach efforts; and provides resources to include guidance documents for community leaders and law enforcement, and the If You See Something, Say Something campaign.

In the wake of increasing racial tensions and intolerance at college campuses across the country, building trust between law enforcement and community members is as vital as ever. The Not In Our Town short film,A Bowling Green Legacy, shows how communities can come together to respond to incidents of hate, as well as to strengthen trust between community stakeholders to prevent hate from… (read more)

This survey is one piece of the broader Building Relationships of Trust Toolkit. A police department should distribute this survey to community members pre- and post-implementation of a building relationships of trust initiative.

This in-service orientation course assists officers in building relationships of trust. The approximate teaching time is three hours. This module incorporates three general learning goals: 1) educating students on the concepts of building relationships of trust and their importance for police legitimacy and crime reduction in the community, 2) informing students about best practices for building… (read more)

A key component of successful policing is building collaborative, trusting relationships between law enforcement and the communities they serve, particularly immigrant and minority communities. Developing these relationships allows law enforcement to more successfully address the challenges of crime control and terrorism prevention. The knowledge and insight that come from trust-based… (read more)

The Building Relationships of Trust Toolkit includes detailed information police officers and community members should consider when trying to build trusting relationships between the two. Components of the toolkit include: moving to implementation, recommended steps for chief executives, an interactive video overview, commonly used terms, community perception survey, and curriculum training… (read more)

This publication provides guidance to federal, state, local, and tribal law enforcement agencies; fusion centers; community members; civic groups; and other interested parties on developing relationships of trust, particularly with minority and immigrant communities. It also expands on the U.S. Department of Justice's Office of Community Oriented Policing Services (COPS Office) publication,… (read more)

In this New Perspectives in Policing paper, Anthony A. Braga and Rod K. Brunson explain that while the term black-on-black violence is statistically correct, it is a simplistic view of urban violence. They explain how media coverage sometimes distorts racial issues and argue that a more careful analysis can reveal urban violence patterns that can support police executives in communicating the… (read more)

This report contains the results of a comprehensive assessment of the challenges and promise of this strategic approach to preventing violent extremism. It is based on a nationwide survey of law enforcement agencies and hundreds of hours of interviews and site visits with police departments and community members around the country. Challenges and promising practices are included.

This guide is intended to help law enforcement officers build stronger community-police relations. Building strong police-community relations requires a sustained effort over time, yet maintaining these relationships is exceedingly difficult during and in the aftermath of a high-profile incident or civil unrest. Professional law enforcement departments and effective operations require training… (read more)

The Protect and Serve Presidential Initiative is intended to provide law enforcement officers with the tools and resources they need to help build sustainable community relationships and to educate the public on the role of law enforcement. Through this webpage, IACP members will have access to talking points, model policies, facts and figures about law enforcement, stories from the field,… (read more)

This report is designed to serve as a roadmap for law enforcement, communities, and stakeholders to build meaningful, sustainable, trusting, and effective working relationships. Summit participants outlined three conceptual elements of building community-police relationships. The report defines those elements- communication, partnerships, and trust- and provides recommendations for improvement in… (read more)

Awareness Brief on homegrown violent extremism. This document highlights the following areas: defining homegrown violent extremism, recruiting extremists, examples of extremism, and the role of community policing in prevention efforts.

This document is a complementary piece to Guidance for Building Communities of Trust and was developed to assist community leaders working with law enforcement agencies to facilitate dialogue and discuss ways to work together to prevent crime and terrorism. The strategies discussed here also complement national strategic goals to empower local partners to keep communities safe from threats of… (read more)

The IACP convened three focus groups of community stakeholders, frontline officers, and law enforcement executives to discuss building community trust. They discussed  strategies that have been used successfully to develop communities of trust and identified challenges facing law enforcement and the community. This toolkit collects some of the most successful strategies, promising programs,… (read more)