NCJ Number
220927
Journal
THE POLICE CHIEF Volume: 74 Issue: 10 Dated: October 2007 Pages: 52,54-57,59,60
Date Published
October 2007
Length
7 pages
Annotation
This article describes the experiences of the following law enforcement agencies in pilot-testing the IACP's (International Association of Chiefs of Police) draft national strategy for enhancing the police response to victims, which was proposed in October 2005.
Abstract
Guided by the guidelines of the proposed strategy, the Charlotte-Mecklenburg Police Department (North Carolina), the Beaverton Police Department (Oregon), and the Mundelein Police Department (Illinois) participated in the strategy's pilot project. In just over 12 months, the three agencies achieved measurable improvements in the core elements of the recommended strategy. All three sites implemented similar strategies. These included appointing an "executive sponsor" (deputy or assistant chief in charge of leading the initiative), creating a leadership team, and determining baseline data collection points and approaches. Other components of the site strategies were the analysis of data and the identification of trends and actionable ideas, as well as developing and implementing an action plan. Assessment was a continuous process through which the pilot agencies learned from mistakes, built on successes, and identified new areas in which they could improve their response to crime victims. Some of the innovative developments related to victim services were revised mission statements that reflected a renewed focus on victim services; new and updated police procedures and guidelines for addressing a wide range of victim-related issues, and revised personnel performance measures related to services provided to crime victims. Other developments under the pilot project were expanded cooperation with victim service providers and other community organizations, and the involvement of police personnel in training programs related to victim issues.