Association News

By Rebecca Stickley, IACP Program Manager

Every day, law enforcement agencies and the communities they serve face challenges. Some agencies struggle to meet drastically changing service demands. Others are unsure about how to allocate resources, incorporate promising practices, or spread the word about new programs. Some agencies are looking for new and effective ways to engage their communities. If you are a law enforcement or public safety executive looking for support, the Collaborative Reform Initiative Technical Assistance Center (CRI-TAC) is here to help.

Funded by the U.S. Department of Justice, Office of Community Oriented Policing Services (COPS Office), the CRI-TAC offers no-cost, customized solutions to law enforcement agencies throughout the United States. The solutions provided are tailored to the specific agency and informed by cutting-edge innovation and evidence-based and promising practices.

Services

The CRI-TAC offers a number of technical assistance services, delivered by subject matter experts from the field. Services include:

• Resource Referral: toolkits, reports, and other relevant publications
• Web-based Training: recorded webinars and live, online training
• In-person Training: existing and customized on-site training
• Virtual Mentoring: personnel from the requesting agency will be connected with subject matter experts to share information and promising practices via phone or video conference call
• Meeting Facilitation: subject matter experts will assist in facilitating meetings among agency members and other public and private sector stakeholders
• On-site Consultation: subject matter experts visit the requesting agency to collaborate with agency leaders and provide guidance on best practices and tailored solutions.

Topic Areas

Today’s law enforcement agencies must be prepared to respond to a broad range of diverse issues. Because of this, the CRI-TAC has the capacity to address more than 20 critical areas. Topics covered include:

• Active Shooter Response
• At-Risk Youth
• Community Engagement
• Crime Analysis
• Crisis Intervention
• De-escalation
• Domestic Violence Reduction and Prevention
• Drug-related Crime
• Focused Deterrence
• Gangs
• Gun Violence Reduction and Prevention
• Human Trafficking
• Intelligence and Information Sharing
• Mass Casualty Response
• Mass Demonstration Response
• Modern Police Performance Management (e.g. CompStat)
• Officer Safety and Wellness
• Private Sector Coordination and Partnerships
• Proactive Policing
• Problem Solving Techniques
• Prosecution Coordination and Partnerships
• Public Sector Coordination and Partnerships
• School Safety Shared Service Models
• Traffic Safety
• Tribal Law Enforcement
• Violent Crime Reduction and Prevention

Subject Matter Expertise

The CRI-TAC pulls from the reach and expertise of the IACP and eight partner organizations:

• Federal Bureau of Investigation National Academy Associates
• Fraternal Order of Police
• International Association of Campus Law Enforcement Administrators
• International Association of Directors of Law Enforcement Standards and Training
• Major Cities Chiefs Association
• National Association of Women Law Enforcement Executives
• National Organization of Black Law Enforcement Executives
• and National Tactical Officers Association.

With more than 420,000 combined members, these partners provide reports, toolkits, and online and in-person training. In addition, the partners pull from the vast knowledge of their organizational staff and membership to provide subject matter expertise, delivering virtual and on-site consultation by the field, for the field.

Requesting Assistance

To request assistance, visit www.CollaborativeReform.org or email CRITAC@theIACP.org. In your email, we ask that you include some brief information about your agency, including the number of officers and the population served. All requests must be received from the chief executive of the agency or with expressed authorization from the chief executive.

The Technical Assistance Process

When a law enforcement or public safety agency makes a request, the CRI-TAC staff works directly with the agency to understand its unique needs and collaboratively develop a technical assistance plan.

1. Intake. During the intake phase, CRI-TAC staff and subject matter experts from the IACP and partner organizations will contact the requesting agency to discuss its needs and how they can be addressed via technical assistance. CRI-TAC staff will then develop a formal request document with input from the requesting agency.

2. Work Plan. Once the request has been finalized, the CRI-TAC staff will develop a detailed work plan that includes specific subject matter experts, details about the resources and services to be delivered, and timelines. This will also be sent to the requesting agency for review, comment, and modification before the chief executive of the agency approves and signs off on the plan.
3. Delivery. After the work plan has been finalized, CRI-TAC staff will set up a kick-off meeting with the requesting agency, CRI-TAC staff, and subject matter experts who will be involved in the technical assistance delivery. From there, work will commence in accordance with the work plan and in close collaboration with the agency

Throughout the process, CRI-TAC staff will stay in contact with the agency to ensure needs and expectations are being met.

Learn More

To learn more about the Collaborative Reform Initiative Technical Assistance Center (CRI-TAC), download a brochure, or request assistance for your agency, visit www.CollaborativeReform.org.

This project was supported, in whole or in part, by Cooperative Agreement Number 2017‐CR‐WX‐K001 awarded by the U.S. Department of Justice, Office of Community Oriented Policing Services. The opinions contained herein are those of the author(s) or contributor(s) and do not necessarily represent the official position or policies of the U.S. Department of Justice. References to specific individuals, agencies, companies, products, or services should not be considered an endorsement by the author(s) or the US Department of Justice. Rather, the references are illustrations to supplement the discussion of the issues. The Internet references cited in this publication were valid as of the date of publication. Given that URLs and websites are in constant flux, neither the author(s) nor the COPS Office can vouch for their current validity.