Community policing is a philosophy that promotes organizational strategies that support the systematic use of partnerships and problem-solving techniques to proactively address the immediate conditions that give rise to public safety issues such as violent crime, nonviolent crime, and fear of crime. Community Policing Development (CPD) funds are used to develop the capacity of law enforcement to implement community policing strategies by providing guidance on promising practices through the development and testing of innovative strategies; building knowledge about effective practices and outcomes; and supporting new, creative approaches to preventing crime and promoting safe communities. The COPS Office is committed to advancing work that promotes civil rights and racial equity, increases access to justice, supports crime victims and individuals impacted by the justice system, strengthens community safety and protects the public from crime and evolving threats, and build trust between law enforcement and the community. Statutory Authority This program is authorized under the Omnibus Crime Control and Safe Streets Act of 1968, as amended, and the Violent Crime Control and Law Enforcement Act of 1994, Title I, Part Q, Public Law 103-322, 34 U.S.C. § 10381 et seq. All awards are subject to the availability of appropriated funds and any modifications or additional requirements that may be imposed by law. Program-Specific Information This program is authorized under the Omnibus Crime Control and Safe Streets Act of 1968, as amended, and the Violent Crime Control and Law Enforcement Act of 1994, Title I, Part Q, Public Law 103-322, 34 U.S.C. § 10381 et seq. All awards are subject to the availability of appropriated funds and any modifications or additional requirements that may be imposed by law. For all identified deliverables, the applicant should adhere to the COPS Office Editorial and Style Manual. For projects that propose site-specific work, letters of support from the targeted agencies are strongly encouraged. With any programmatic questions, please contact the COPS Office Response Center at 800-421-6770 or send questions via email to
[email protected]. The COPS Office Response Center operates Monday through Friday, 9:00 a.m. to 5:00 p.m. ET, except on federal holidays. Program Goals Under this solicitation, the COPS Office seeks to support projects that allow for the identification and expansion of promising practices and produces knowledge products that follow the principles of good guidance: Quality-driven, with an emphasis on action statements to drive promising practices and reduce variations in performance Evidence-based, with recommendations that are consistent with the weight of the best available evidence identified through systematic review Accessible, with clear language and manageable lengths that are appropriate and relevant for the law enforcement field Memorable, to encourage immediate actions or aid for the complex situations law enforcement professionals face To read an overview of the principles of community policing, please see the COPS Office publication Community Policing Defined. Applicants should also consider the COPS Office performance measures when developing their own specific project goals and activities, which can be found in the "Performance Measures" section of this application. Accreditation Resources and Implementation Support One award, up to $250,000 The U.S. Department of Justice (DOJ) recognizes the importance of law enforcement agencies’ adhering to the highest standards of police policies and operations. The community benefits when it is assured its law enforcement personnel are following best practice policies and procedures to provide efficient, effective, and fair policing. Accreditation of agencies helps to ensure accountability and transparency that can enhance confidence and trust in law enforcement among community members and communities as a whole. Accreditation involves the process of law enforcement agencies adopting and maintaining standards focused on their operations. To obtain accreditation, a law enforcement agency must ensure that it has the appropriate policy standards as defined by the accreditation entity. The number of standards varies by accreditation entity. The COPS Office will fund a provider to develop a national marketing program and provide technical assistance in support of law enforcement accreditation. Marketing resources, such as multimedia presentations, webinars, and outreach campaigns, should focus on the importance of accreditation. Provider should also plan to provide technical assistance in the form of a community of practice for COPS Office Law Enforcement Agencies Seeking Accreditation grantees. This purpose of this initiative is to increase awareness and interest in law enforcement accreditation and to help state, local, tribal, and territorial law enforcement agencies across the country to successfully achieve accreditation under the COPS Office Law Enforcement Agencies Seeking Accreditation grant program. Projects Out of Scope Applicants that are not public governmental agency, federally recognized Indian tribe, institutions of higher education, for-profit organizations, nonprofit organizations, community groups, or faith-based organizations will not be considered. Projects that do not develop and provide marketing, resources, or technical assistance focused on accreditation will not be considered. Projects that focus on funding accreditation fees or direct consultant activities will not be considered. Projects that focus on enhancing existing accreditation programs will not be considered. Please see Expanding Law Enforcement Accreditation Programs. Additional Requirements The primary goal is to increase interest in law enforcement agency accreditation and to support agencies seeking accreditation through national initiatives such as marketing, resources, and technical assistance. The project description should address the following objectives: How the proposed program activities will support and increase awareness on law enforcement accreditation The marketing strategy and resources that will be developed How the awardee will provide technical assistance through a community of practice The subject matter expertise of the project leadership and consultants or subcontractors How provider will gauge impact of proposed marketing, resources and technical assistance being offered. Deliverables The primary deliverables of this award will be the development and national distribution of resources to promote law enforcement agency accreditation and a community of practice for COPS Office Law Enforcement Agencies Seeking Accreditation grantees. The project deliverable(s) should be clearly identified in the application projective narrative.