The federal government has awarded $139 million in grant funding to 183 law enforcement agencies across the nation through the department’s Office of Community Oriented Policing Services (“COPS Office”) COPS Hiring Program (“CHP”). The funds are to be dedicated to the hiring of additional full-time law enforcement professionals and the advancement of community policing efforts.
Community policing is a proactive approach that focuses on transforming leadership within agencies, improving relationships with the community, and targeting specific problems (e.g., gun violence, people in crisis). Per the announcement, 102 awardees (56%) will use the funding to focus on building legitimacy and trust, 41 (22%) will seek to address high rates of gun violence, 21 (11%) will focus on other areas of violent crime, and 19 (10%) will focus on combating hate and domestic extremism or police-based response to persons in crisis.
Key areas related to community policing range from things like de-escalation and communication skills, to increased patrol in problem areas. Another component of community policing is to provide officers with the skills, tools, and coping strategies they need to build resilience and succeed on the job and maintain their mental and physical wellness.
A 2014 report by the COPS Office describes some of the “lessons learned” in detail by earlier micro-grant community-policing awardees. Relatedly, a 2017 review of studies specifically on community policing found it to be effective in improving trust with the community and individuals’ perceptions of police legitimacy. A 2020 research review of problem-oriented policing more generally found that it can significantly decrease crime.
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