News

July 26, 2021—The Manchester (NH) Police Department (MPD) is partnering with the National Police Foundation (NPF) to adopt a new initiative that is derived from some aspects of traditional performance management systems used by police departments—CompStat. CS360 is different from traditional CompStat in light of its emphasis on enhanced problem-solving approaches designed to tackle the unique challenges police departments and communities face every day. The CS360 process takes a proactive and solutions-oriented approach, which emphasizes community collaboration, responsiveness, strategic problem solving, and community satisfaction. It is also key to building trust and meaningful engagement between law enforcement agencies and the communities they serve. Where traditional CompStat relied upon crime numbers as the ultimate measure of success, CS360 relies on the extent to which the agency, the community and partner organizations work together to learn and solve problems that may or may not show up in official crime data. At its core is the idea that we cannot ultimately be successful unless we have met our goals in improving safety while maintaining satisfaction and trust with the community and while maintaining an effective police organization and officers.

Since its launch, MPD has driven the CS360 approach forward. MPD has engaged with an inclusive group of stakeholders—both internal and external to the department—to promote the co-production of public safety. With the support of NPF, they have developed an Advisory Team that is co-chaired by a community stakeholder and MPD representative. This Advisory Team will manage CS360 within Manchester and ensure resources are available to support problem-solving efforts. The Advisory Team is currently developing a targeted problem-solving team that will begin to develop metrics and possible solutions to address the critical public safety concern of rising gun violence in Manchester, NH.

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National Police Foundation encourages careful thought and examination of qualified immunity and urgently calls for more research to inform conversations and debate.  

June 30, 2021—America’s legal system has afforded government officials at various levels with absolute and qualified immunity protections in recognition of the risks associated with their roles and responsibilities.  Although qualified immunity is available to many state and local government workers, law enforcement officers rely on qualified immunity as they make life or death decisions in everyday encounters as well as in crisis situations without the benefit of hindsight. Qualified immunity was not meant to relieve officers or their agencies from the duty and responsibility to act within the law, but does address the unique context in which they must act.

The intense debate over qualified immunity protections for police and the difficulty in resolving it stem from a broader crisis of trust and the need for accountability.

Not unlike other issues, the debate is made more complicated and challenging by the fact that not all who are engaged in the debate have been afforded a full understanding of the doctrine or the realities of government employees’ exposure to liability, potential for indemnification, and accountability outcomes; and, little research exists, leaving a vacuum to be filled, often without full or complete facts.

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June 28, 2021—The National Police Foundation’s National Resource and Technical Assistance Center for Improving Law Enforcement Investigations (NRTAC), supported by the Bureau of Justice Assistance (BJA) in partnership with the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives (ATF), has assisted 27 sites across the country with implementing policies and processes to enhance their crime gun intelligence centers (CGICs) to respond to fatal and non-fatal shootings. The CGIC model supports interagency collaboration focused on the immediate collection, management, and analysis of crime gun evidence in real time to prevent further shootings. The CGIC model is rooted in data analysis and sustainable partnerships, both of which could not be more important during our current climate. Collaboration between local police departments, governmental stakeholders, and the community is critical to driving down gun violence and enhancing police legitimacy. Law enforcement from all eight sites heard from experts and peers about the importance of key technologies for disrupting the shooting cycle, such as the ATF’s National Integrated Ballistics Imaging Network (NIBIN), as well as the importance of information sharing with partners and the community.

The new sites, selected by BJA through a competitive process, include: Albuquerque, NM; Chattanooga, TN; New Haven, CT; Henderson, NC; Myrtle Beach, SC; Palm Beach County, FL; Miami, FL; Toledo, OH.

The Bureau of Justice Assistance (BJA) is currently seeking new CGIC sites to be selected in the Fall of 2021. See https://bja.ojp.gov/sites/g/files/xyckuh186/files/media/document/O-BJA-2021-47002.pdf.

The deadline to apply is July 14, 2021.

To learn more about the CGIC Initiative, please visit: https://crimegunintelcenters.org.

Department of Justice
Office of Public Affairs
May 26, 2021

WASHINGTON—Attorney General Merrick B. Garland today announced a new Department of Justice effort to help protect our communities from the recent increase in major violent crimes.

“Today, we renew our commitment to reducing violent crime and building strong communities where all Americans are safe,” said Attorney General Garland. “The Deputy Attorney General is issuing a comprehensive strategy to deploy our federal resources in the most effective way, disrupting the most dangerous threats and supporting the ground-level efforts of local law enforcement.  In this endeavor, we will engage our communities as critical partners. And through our grantmaking, we will support programming at all stages—from the earliest violence interruption strategies to post-conviction reentry services.”

The strategy announced today is three-pronged. First, it establishes a set of four fundamental principles to be applied Department-wide to guide violent crime reduction:

1. Build trust and earn legitimacy. Meaningful law enforcement engagement with, and accountability to, the community are essential underpinnings of any effective strategy to address violent crime, as well as important ends in themselves. Accordingly, building trust and earning legitimacy within our communities is the foundation on which the strategy is built.
2. Invest in prevention and intervention programs. Violent crime is not a problem that can be solved by law enforcement alone. Accordingly, the Department must invest in community-based violence prevention and intervention programs that work to keep violence from happening before it occurs.
3. Target enforcement efforts and priorities. The Department is most effective when it focuses its limited enforcement resources on identifying, investigating, and prosecuting the most significant drivers of gun violence and other violent crime.
4. Measure results. Because the fundamental goal of this work is to reduce the level of violence in our communities, not to increase the number of arrests or prosecutions as if they were ends in themselves—we must measure the results of our efforts on these grounds.

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April 28, 2021—The National Police Foundation is pleased to endorse Arnold Venture’s Campaign for Criminal Justice Data Modernization.

According to the report derived from an expert roundtable, “comprehensive criminal justice reform should be an important next step on the administration’s agenda, to help fulfill the hopes of all the civil rights protests in the wake of George Floyd’s tragic death. Implementation of hallmark justice reforms could have a significant impact for generations to come.”

The report further explains that “an ambitious criminal justice reform agenda will require a strong commitment to building a modern, nimble, comprehensive data infrastructure. Accomplishing this goal will serve multiple purposes. An effective data infrastructure will promote transparency and allow the public to hold its officials accountable. A modern data architecture will improve the effectiveness and efficiency of justice agencies. A strong data system will provide a baseline for measuring progress toward better outcomes, in particular progress toward racial equity.

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April 21, 2021—Although the jury has spoken and justice has been served for the family of George Floyd, the stain of the racial injustice at the center of this trial shall never be removed. The pain brought on by the loss of Mr. Floyd’s life will not go away with the verdict of one trial. Neither does policing’s responsibilities and obligations to learn from it and atone for it as a profession. We must own this, and work relentlessly and harder to ensure that the conditions and traditions that brought us here are rooted out. We must ensure that those conditions and traditions are replaced with values and practices that protect and serve humanity and fiercely defend the sanctity of every life. We must be accountable.

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March 29, 2021— The National Police Foundation is pleased to announce its partnership with a coalition of police leaders, researchers, and professional organizations in recently launching the 30×30 Initiative. To date, more than 40 policing agencies across the country announced their commitment to the 30×30 Pledge—a foundational effort of the Initiative—which provides a framework for a series of no-cost and low-cost actions that policing agencies can take to improve the representation and experiences of women in all ranks.

The Policing Project at the New York University School of Law, along with the National Association of Women Law Enforcement Executives (NAWLEE), are proud founding partners of this critical movement.

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February 26, 2021—The National Police Foundation (NPF) is pleased to release its 2020 Annual Report. The report highlights NPF’s work throughout 2020 in four key areas: Building trust and legitimacy between police and communities; leveraging scientific research to advance policing; developing innovative solutions to meet the needs of police and communities; and improving officer safety and wellness through data-driven training and technical assistance.

View the report here: https://www.policefoundation.org/publication/2020-annual-report/

SOURCE: U.S. Conference of Mayors

February 17, 2021

The U.S. Conference of Mayors (USCM) is pleased to be working with Target on a new grant program for USCM member cities.  Information on it follows. We encourage you to apply.

POLICE REFORM AND RACIAL JUSTICE GRANT PROGRAM
A U.S. Conference of Mayors/Target Opportunity

THE PROGRAM — The U.S. Conference of Mayors has long been recognized for its commitment to both police reform and civil rights and for its leadership through the years in bringing mayors and police chiefs together in working partnerships to strengthen police-community relations and build trust between police departments and the communities they serve. Target has long been committed to creating and maintaining strong, healthy and safe communities, and advancing social justice and racial equity.

On January 21, in the opening session of the 2021 Winter Meeting of the U.S. Conference of Mayors, Laysha Ward, Executive Vice President & Chief External Engagement Officer for the Target Corporation, announced the creation of a two-year, $700,000 Police Reform and Racial Justice Grant Program, a national partnership between the Conference of Mayors and Target aimed at identifying, supporting and promoting police policies and practices in cities shown to be most effective in advancing the goal of justice for all residents.

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