Co-authored by National League of Cities intern Jenna Spencer
The Collaborative Reform Initiative Continuum of Technical Assistance Services program, offered by the Department of Justice through their Office of Community Oriented Policing Services (COPS), works with law enforcement agencies to help reform their organizations.
The initiative consists of five goals:
- To increase the trust between law enforcement and their communities
- Enhance fairness, effectiveness and efficiency within law enforcement
- Help increase safety and wellness for officers
- Help with agencies’ ability for organizational learning and self-improvement
- To encourage community policing practices
The Collaborative Reform Initiative is made up of three separate programs: Collaborative Reform Initiative Technical Assistance Center (CRI-TAC), Critical Response and Organizational Assessment.
While the three programs are symbiotic, each one offers specific services:
CRI-TAC
CRI-TAC offers technical assistance in a variety of areas for state, local, territorial and tribal law enforcement agencies using a “by the field, for the field” method. Within the program, there are three separate areas of assistance CRI-TAC can provide: general topics, sheriff topics and tribal topics. CRI-TAC currently has 62 sites in progress and 854 completed sites, bringing their total sites helped to 916. The program also comes free of charge.
Example: Walla Walla Police Department in Walla Walla, WA
In response to pre-COVID-19 demonstrations, the Walla Walla Police Department’s Chief of Police requested assistance through the CRI-TAC program. While Walla Walla, WA is a small, rural town, the city wanted to be prepared in case the demonstrations became more disruptive.
The CRI-TAC program provided Walla Walla’s Police Department with consultation from a former police chief of a larger city who had experience with disruptive protests. This consultation consisted of a policy review of the Walla Walla Police Department’s policies, as well as the policies of the Washington State Penitentiary (located in Walla Walla), ensuring that both groups were aligned on critical topics and had the tools to further build their relationship.
Critical Response
The next program, Critical Response, gives technical assistance to state, local, territorial and tribal law enforcement agencies experiencing “high profile events, major incidents and sensitive issues,” and can be tailored to a law enforcement agency’s specific needs.
Critical Response provides help in three ways: technical assistance for an urgent need, help with data analysis and support with after-action reviews.
Example: Columbus, OH Division of Police
Via the Critical Response Program, the Division of Police in Columbus, OH (CPD) received an independent review holistically examining the CPD’s use of force.
Consulting group Jensen Hughes provided support with conducting the independent review, The group analyzed documents and data, conducted interviews with personnel and spoke to community stakeholders. Their final report analyzed the CDP’s policies, use of force data, civilian oversight, community engagement and training, and also included their observations from file reviews.
The independent review resulted in 45 findings and a recommendation based on each finding. Among the analysis, it was found that the CDP does not keep track of data in a way that allows for efficient reports and transparency of their use of force, so no conclusions can be drawn on if there are any problems with their practice.
If the CDP follows the recommendations made by the independent review and improves its transparency, it can help better its reputation among community members and strengthen residents’ relationship with the department.
Organizational Assessment
Organizational Assessment focuses on helping law enforcement provide unbiased and successful policing to their communities. This program helps with community engagement, comprehensive assessment, timely implementation of reforms and routine public reporting.
Example: Dearborn Heights Police Department in Dearborn Heights, MI
The Police Department in Dearborn Heights, MI (DHPD) is currently working with the Collaborative Reform Initiative’s Organizational Assessment program. This assessment looks at six focus areas: community engagement and problem-solving strategies; accountability and oversight systems; recruitment, hiring, retention, and promotion practices; employee safety and wellness; organizational learning and data-informed practices; and internal and external communications. In addition, the Organizational Assessment provides technical assistance to the DHPD.
The Collaborative Reform Initiative is a great resource for law enforcement agencies in cities, towns and villages across the country and provides assistance in multiple ways. City leaders can request to use the program by filling out a form online.
Reimagining Public Safety Toolkit
NLC’s Reimagining Public Safety Task Force released a report outlining five high-level recommendations for city leaders to improve their efforts to ensure the safety of all residents. Download the toolkit to learn more on how city leaders can replicate, reference and adapt as they implement reimagined approaches to public safety.
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