NCJ Number
250565
Date Published
January 2017
Length
4 pages
Annotation
Based on the products of three workshops held in 2016 with law enforcement and community representatives of sites involved in the Smart Policing Initiative (SPI) and the Byrne Criminal Justice Innovation (BCJI) program, this report presents fundamental guidelines ("Collaboration Principles") for how local jurisdictions (police agencies and communities) should approach police-community collaboration.
Abstract
The model for both SPI and BCJI sites integrates police-community collaboration into their programs. The workshops examined the challenges and successes in police-community collaboration for the sites represented. Each workshop included a similar range of workshop topics, including building and sustaining multi-sector collaborations, collaborating with communities of color, learning the perspectives of community leaders, using technology in collaboration, and creating a culture of collaboration in police agencies. The collaboration principles outlined for police are to exert strong leadership in promoting collaboration with community leaders; to orient police priorities toward service to the community; to transform training to include a focus on collaboration with community residents; to build community relationships; to engage with diverse elements of the community; to improve communication and messaging; and to understand community perspectives. Collaboration principles are also outlined for community residents. They include identifying leaders with credibility and support in the community to communicate regularly with police leaders; provide community input on officer training curriculum and the impact of police strategies in countering crime; participating with police in training exercises and problemsolving projects; defining public safety and neighborhood priorities from the community's perspective; and commending positive police work and recognizing officers who are models of police service to the community. Next steps being planned to promote police-community collaboration are discussed.