What is the purpose of this initiative?
The UNCA PCE Initiative enhances collaboration through the Community Care Coalition (CCC) and law enforcement partners' early engagement in the collaborative needs identification, problem-solving, and service delivery. The first step of the UNCA PCE Initiative is to rally CCC partners to minimize communal safety threats identified by law enforcement. Once this is accomplished, the partnership begins to clarify the factors that can promote social equity between communities and law enforcement
How does this initiative compare with similar community policing programs?
Using DHS and DOJ programs as a guide, the primary purpose of this initiative is to promote
"shared responsibility." The UNCA desires that communities share the burden of communal responsibility often placed upon solely upon law enforcement professionals. Secondarily, the initiative is unique in that it structures the CCC strategic delivery of goods and services based upon unmet needs identified by law enforcement professionals. This proactive measure creates and maintains social equity among law enforcement and communities.
How does the UNCA PCE Initiative's "shared responsibility" focus support law enforcement agencies?
The results of response-oriented policing have caused an increasing strain on communities and law enforcement professionals. This shared responsibility model is a unique design that supports law enforcement agencies by:
- Demonstrating the agency's desire to emphasize prevention and proactivity;
- Reducing the overall workload and efficiency of local law enforcement professionals; and
- Increasing efficiency rates to support the agency, particularly in times of high fiscal focus.
Can local law enforcement professionals partner with the UNCA while working with existing partners?
Yes. The UNCA coordinates with the headquarters of law enforcement agencies to establish the initiative. However, the UNCA team works with local and district-level law enforcement professionals to effectuate the program on a day-to-day basis. The UNCA prefers to provide training and support to key community stakeholders identified by local law enforcement professionals. As needed, the UNCA can introduce additional relationships that can add value to the partnership.
How does the UNCA's define effective law enforcement and community partnership?
The UNCA believes that effective collaboration only begins with the decision to work together. The UNCA's pillar to an on-going, effective partnership is supported by:
- Detailed local-level action plan agreed on by stakeholders with a vested interest in the collaboration;
- Motivated partners possessing expertise and willingness to openly collaborate with others; and
- Established partners that possess the means to implement and sustain the missions identified through the collaboration.
The United Nations Chaplains Association (UNCA) is a non-government, professional agency committed to promoting social and economic development, crisis counseling, disaster management, and leadership engagement throughout the continental United States and the Caribbean. In 2016, the UNCA emerged as a leader in Disaster Relief Management, having coordinated with FEMA, The American Red Cross, and over 200 agencies to streamline services and impact the lives of millions affected by disasters. The UNCA closely aligns its core focuses with the U.S. Department of Homeland Security and the U.S. Department of Justice initiatives below.
Department of Homeland Security
Through its "Whole Community Approach to Emergency Management" protocol outlined by the Department of Homeland Security for Faith and Opportunity Initiatives ("DHS Center"), the DHS Center encourages on-going collaboration between faith-based organizations, law enforcement, emergency managers, subject matter experts in religious literacy, and cultural competencies throughout times of "blue sky" (mitigation) and disaster (preparedness, response, and recovery). To learn more visit: https://www.dhs.gov/faith
U.S. Department of Justice
The U.S. Department of Justice Community Relations Service's Strengthening Police and Community Partnerships (SPCP) program, piloted in Erie, PA, and Topeka, KS, is designed to strengthen trust and develop partnerships between law enforcement professionals and the diverse communities they serve. The SPCP program improves public safety by strengthening trust and developing partnerships between law enforcement and the diverse communities they serve. The program can also help local leaders address longstanding community distrust and other historical barriers that impact police-community partnerships. To learn more visit, https://www.justice.gov/crs/our-work/facilitation/strengthening-police-community-partnerships.
The Bureau of Justice Assistance (BJA) is a component of the Office of Justice Programs, within the United States Department of Justice (DOJ). BJA provides leadership and assistance to local criminal justice programs that improve and reinforce the nation's criminal justice system. In response to the nations mental health crisis, the BJA established The Justice and Mental Health Collaboration Program (JMHCP). To learn more visit, https://bja.ojp.gov.
The U.S. Department of Justice’s Community Oriented Policing Services (COPS) Office publishes public materials for law enforcement and community stakeholders. The free publications outline best practices and provide access to collective knowledge from the field. Below are recent and featured publications from COPS. The UNCA does not own the rights to the COPS publications list below, for questions or comments regarding the material call the COPS Office Response Center at 800-421-6770.
Making the Match: Law Enforcement, the Faith Community and Value-Based Initiative
Abstract: COPS began its Value-Based Initiative program in 2000, awarding grants to law enforcement agencies to partner with faith-based and other community organizations. This publication provides an in-depth look at how some of the grant-funded partnerships have come together, the challenges they have met, and the successes they have enjoyed. The guide contains suggestions and guidelines on starting your own Value-Based Initiative, with input from those who have done so and done so successfully. The extensive collection of Appendices includes numerous resources for communities seeking to build or reinforce relationships between law enforcement and the faith community.
Product ID: COPS-P054
Publication Date: 01/05/2004
Author(s): Mary Beth Gordon
Go to: https://cops.usdoj.gov/RIC/ric.php?page=detail&id=COPS-P054
Bringing Victims into Community Policing
Abstract: This publication focuses on the role of crime victims in advancing community policing. It includes first responder guides to dealing with victims, a model policy for the prevention of repeat victimization, and the benefits of developing relationships between the police, crime victims, and victim organizations.
Product ID: COPS-W0016
Publication Date: 09/17/2002
Author(s): Susan Herman, David R. Anderson, Diane Johnson, Karen Dempsey
Go to: https://cops.usdoj.gov/RIC/ric.php?page=detail&id=COPS-W0016
Shifting and Sharing Responsibility for Public Safety Problems
Abstract: Although the police address many public safety problems effectively in the exercise of their normal authority and expertise, they have come to depend on others to aid them by addressing the conditions that underlie crime and disorder. With such help, the police can more effectively prevent and control such problems. This guide examines how the police can persuade private citizens, businesses, or the government to respond to common crime and disorder problems, provided that they do not violate basic standards of propriety and legality.
Product ID: COPS-W0716
Publication Date: 09/21/2011
Author(s): Michael S. Scott, Herman Goldstein
Go to: https://cops.usdoj.gov/RIC/ric.php?page=detail&id=COPS-W0716
Policing in New Immigrant Communities
Abstract: The common challenges that law enforcement agencies face when working with immigrant communities include language barriers, fear of the police, and cultural differences, among others. To address these challenges and discuss promising practices for cultivating, maintaining, and restoring partnerships to keep communities safe, the Office of Community Oriented Policing Services, in partnership with the Vera Institute of Justice, sponsored a focus group comprising leading law enforcement leaders, experts, and community leaders from five jurisdictions in the United States. This report is based on that discussion.
Product ID: COPS-W0764
Publication Date: 08/07/2009
Author(s): Matthew Lysakowski, Albert Antony Pearsall III, Jill Pope
Go to: https://cops.usdoj.gov/RIC/ric.php?page=detail&id=COPS-W0764
The Collaboration Toolkit for Community Organizations
Abstract: The Collaboration Toolkit for Community Organizations is designed to assist community organizations to initiate effective partnerships with their law enforcement agencies and collaborate on solving crime problems at the neighborhood level. More specifically, the toolkit outlines how to strengthen partnerships between the community and law enforcement, further the community's role as a partner in crime reduction efforts, identify and address social issues that diminish the quality of life and threaten public safety in communities, and link those in need to services and resources that currently exist in the community.
Product ID: COPS-P192
Publication Date: 11/05/2010
Author(s): Michael S. McCampbell
Go to: https://cops.usdoj.gov/RIC/ric.php?page=detail&id=COPS-P192
Law Enforcement Contact Request Form
FAQ's
As a law enforcement professional, you face the painful realities experienced within the communities every day. The UNCA believes that you and your team are one of the country's most valuable resources and have the greatest ability to serve as a catalyst for community mobilization.
Is your organization interested in learning more about partnering? Complete our secure Law Enforcement Contact Request Form below or email us at Administration@UNCPA.us. Also, be sure to view the COPS Resource Center and UNCA FAQ by scrolling below.