Projects
IACP has developed a number of programs on a variety of topics important to law enforcement today. Through these projects and programs, IACP delivers resources including published documents such as guidebooks and fact sheets, online and in-person training, and interactive tools.
Projects
Projects
21st Century Policing Blueprint
These strategies are organized as internal, meaning the strategy may affect agency culture, policy, administrative process, or training; or external, including things like transparency, community engagement, and interactions with various populations. Some strategies appear in both; all include a link to the original citation(s) in the Final Report of the Task Force on 21st Century Policing.
Most strategies include links to publications, news stories, agency examples, and related research resources to aid in implementation. We will continue to update these resources. If you have a resource suggestion, please email [email protected].
For more information about evidence-based 21st century policing strategies, review the evidence assessment report produced by IACP and the George Mason University Center for Evidence-based Crime Policy with funding from the Laura and John Arnold Foundation.
21st Century Policing Blueprint - Internal Resources
These strategies are organized as internal, meaning the strategy may affect agency culture, policy, administrative process, or training.
Most strategies include links to publications...
21st Century Policing Blueprint - External Resources
These strategies are organized as external, including things like transparency, community engagement, and interactions with various populations.
Most strategies include links to publications, news...
Tools and Publications
An Evidence Assessment of the President's Task Force on 21st Century Policing Recommendations
With assistance from the Laura and John Arnold Foundation, the IACP partnered with the George Mason University Center for Evidence-Based Crime Policy to create an evidence assessment of the Task Force report recommendations. This assessment identifies Task Force recommendations and action items that are proven effective by evidence-based research. By prioritizing actions validated by research and highlighting implementations steps gleaned from that research, this work can serve as a guide for agencies seeking an evidence-based approach to 21st century policing.
Starting with What Works: Using Evidence-Based Strategies to Improve Community-Police Relations
For many agencies looking to begin implementation of 21st Century Task Force recommendations, the obvious question is “where do we start?” This brochure features highlights from the Evidence Assessment of the President's Task Force on 21st Century Policing Recommendations to allow law enforcement leaders to start with what works by outlining the recommendations with the strongest evidence to support their effectiveness.
Academic Training to Inform Police Responses
Initiative Overview
For law enforcement officers, responding to situations involving individuals with behavioral health (BH) conditions (including mental health and substance use) and intellectual and developmental disabilities (IDD) in a safe, effective manner can often present a significant challenge.
The Academic Training to Inform Police Responses is a national initiative designed to (1) raise awareness in the policing community about the nature and needs of people with BH conditions and IDD; (2) provide training and resources on BH, IDD, and crisis response; and (3) support the use of evidence-informed, best practices in these responses. Supported by the Bureau of Justice Assistance (BJA), researchers from the University of Cincinnati (UC) - in collaboration with Policy Research Associates (PRA), The Arc of the United States' National Center on Criminal Justice and Disability (NCCJD), and the International Association of Chiefs of Police (IACP) - work to assist police agencies in the development and delivery of multi-layered responses to people with BH conditions and IDD.
Initiative Design and Implementation
Under the Academic Training Initiative, the partners will engage in the following activities:
- Develop, implement, and evaluate a national training on crisis response for law enforcement
- Develop the Crisis Response and Intervention Training (CRIT)
- Pilot-test training within multiple law enforcement agencies in 2022
- Evaluate training and effectiveness within law enforcement agencies
- Provide technical assistance (TA) to support communities in their development, enhancement, and implementation of crisis response programs
- Deliver customized TA to law enforcement agencies
- Facilitate peer-to-peer learning for TA sites
- Develop best practice guides and new resources to inform police responses to individuals with BH conditions and IDD
- Develop a comprehensive review of research on police, BH, disability, and community responses to BH and IDD-related crisis incidents
- Create written resources to guide police responses to individuals with BH conditions and IDD
- Host webinars presenting information on topics related to crisis response
- Develop technology solutions to increase accessibility of training and technical assistance (TTA) and encourage the use of evidence-informed practices for crisis response
- Create CRIT e-learning modules to increase availability/accessibility of training
- Translate resources on crisis response into virtual/e-learning format
Upcoming Events
Check back for upcoming scheduled events!
Partner Organizations
Supported by the Bureau of Justice Assistance (BJA), this initiative brings together experts in law enforcement, behavioral health, disabilities, curriculum development, and evaluation to raise awareness in the law enforcement community about the nature and needs of persons with behavioral health (BH) conditions and intellectual and developmental disabilities (IDD) to facilitate the use of evidence-informed and best practices in crisis response. More information on the Academic Training Initiative partner organizations can be found here.
Crisis Response and Intervention Training (CRIT)
The Crisis Response and Intervention Training (CRIT) is a 40-hour training program designed to prepare police officers in their response to people experiencing crises related to behavioral health conditions (including mental health conditions and substance use disorders) and intellectual and developmental disabilities. This training is based upon the Memphis Model of Crisis Intervention Team (CIT) training and is designed to complement the development and delivery of crisis response programs planned by law enforcement agencies, behavioral health service providers, and disability service providers in the community.
This 40-hour training program includes 18 modules of varying lengths and learning styles. These modules focus on topical areas such as behavioral health and intellectual and developmental disabilities, community engagement and resources, systems and legal considerations, and scenario-based skills.
CRIT is an off-the-shelf training curriculum that can be customized to local needs and is available online on the CRIT Curriculum and Trainers' Toolkit webpage. The CRIT Toolkit includes resources needed to support the coordination and delivery of the training in a law enforcement agency. These materials include an Instructor Guide, evaluation materials, trainer materials and resources, a Participant Guide, and PowerPoint presentations for each module.
The 40-hour training matrix can be found here.
Other CRIT Resources
Resources Developed Through The Academic Training Initiative
The following resources were developed through the Academic Training Initiative and are designed to support law enforcement agencies and communities in the development, implementation, and evaluation of crisis response programs.
- New Resources
- Expanded CRIT Modules
- Newly Developed Planning Videos
- Written Products
- BEST PRACTICE GUIDE - Responses to People with Behavioral Health Conditions and Developmental Disabilities: A Review of Research on First Responder Models
The Best Practice Guide reviews available research on the delivery and impact of police, behavioral health (BH), disability, and community responses to BH and intellectual and developmental disabilities (IDD) - related crisis incidents. The chapters of this guide present information on existing response models, identify evidence-informed and best practices, and outline key lessons for the development and delivery of crisis response programs designed after these models.
Available Chapters - Mental Health Conditions & Developmental Disabilities This two-page resource describes mental health conditions and developmental disabilities, common behaviors and characteristics, and the differences between mental health conditions and developmental disabilities
- Developmental Disabilities: What Law Enforcement Officers Need to Know This two-page resource provides examples of law enforcement encounters with people with developmental disabilities, discusses how understanding more about disabilities leads to safe and effective interactions, and provides examples of possible behaviors of people with developmental disabilities and recommended responses.
- Law Enforcement Response to People with Developmental Disabilities: Steps for Deflection or Pre-Arrest Diversion This multipage guide provides insights into the developmental disability community, offers suggestions for successful interactions with people with developmental disabilities, and outlines options for safe and effective deflection and pre-arrest diversion when people with developmental disabilities encounter law enforcement and may be experiencing a crisis or are otherwise in need of services.
- BEST PRACTICE GUIDE - Responses to People with Behavioral Health Conditions and Developmental Disabilities: A Review of Research on First Responder Models
Past Events
BJA’s CRIT Curriculum: Free Training Resources for Law Enforcement – Presented November 2nd, 2023
Webinar DescriptionFor law enforcement officers, responding to situations involving individuals with behavioral health conditions (including mental health and substance use) and developmental disabilities in a safe, effective manner can present significant challenges. Responding to demands for accessible, standardized, and high-quality training, the Crisis Response and Intervention Training (CRIT) was developed by the Academic Training Initiative to Inform Police Responses, with the support of the Office of Justice Programs, Bureau of Justice Assistance (BJA). CRIT is a 40-hour training curriculum designed to support law enforcement officers in their responses to individuals experiencing crises in their community.
Hosted by BJA’s Academic Training Initiative, this webinar will provide an overview of the CRIT curriculum and its development, describe the resources available to agencies through the online CRIT Toolkit, and discuss the implementation of CRIT in the field. We will also describe opportunities for agencies seeking support (i.e., funding, technical assistance) in the delivery of CRIT.
Presenters
- Mike Hatch, Senior Program Manager
National Policing Institute - Robin S. Engel, Senior Vice President
National Policing Institute - Chan Noether, Director
Policy Research Associates - Leigh Anne McKingsley, Senior Director, Disability and Justice Initiatives,
The Arc of the United States - Domingo Herraiz, Director, Programs
International Association of Chiefs of Police - Brooke Mount, Senior Policy Advisor, Justice and Behavioral Health
Bureau of Justice Assistance
- Mike Hatch, Senior Program Manager
Integrating Behavorial Health Peer Support Specialists into Crisis Response – Presented December 8th, 2022
Webinar DescriptionAcross the United States, law enforcement and behavioral health agencies have increasingly begun to incorporate peer support specialists in their responses to people experiencing behavioral health crises in their community. Peer support specialists are individuals with lived experience with mental health conditions, substance use disorders, and/or trauma who are trained, and often certified, to support others with similar experiences in their community. These professionals are being integrated into crisis response programs to enhance interactions with people experiencing behavioral health crises and provide follow-up to promote engagement with needed support and services.
Presented by the Bureau of Justice Assistance’s Academic Training Initiative to Inform Police Responses, this webinar provides an overview of the roles of behavioral health peer support specialists across the criminal justice system, discusses the newer role of peer support specialists in crisis response, and provides examples of how peer support specialists are trained and embedded in teams of professionals tasked with responding to crisis calls in the community. Additionally, this webinar considers how people with intellectual and developmental disabilities (IDD) might be integrated into similar peer support roles to enhance crisis responses to people with IDD.
Presenters
- Chan Noether, Director
Policy Research Associates - Patricia McIntosh, Director
Community Safety and Wellness, City of Hartford (CT) - Stephanie Perez, Peer Support Specialist
Hartford Emergency Assistance Response Team (HEARTeam) - Jordan Smelley, Mental Health Peer Support Specialist
Association of Person's Affected by Addition (Dallas, TX) Leigh Ann Davis, Senior Director of Criminal Justice Initiatives
The Arc of the United States- Policing and People with Developmental Disabilities: Emerging Issues in the Field – Presented April 28th, 2022
Webinar Description
In recent years, there has been greater awareness that developmental disabilities may go undetected in individuals who come into contact with the criminal justice system. As first responders, law enforcement officers may encounter people with developmental disabilities or co-occurring conditions (mental health conditions and developmental disabilities) and as such have an opportunity to set the stage for effective interactions with the justice system for this population. Understanding how to interact with people with developmental disabilities—including identification, communication, and de-escalation—can enhance the safety and effectiveness of these encounters.
Presented by the U.S. Department of Justice, Bureau of Justice Assistance's Academic Training to Inform Police Responses Initiative, this webinar will provide an overview of this topic from the perspectives of law enforcement and a person with a developmental disability, including emerging issues and practical tips officers can use to respond effectively to this population.
Presenters- Chief William Scott
San Francisco (CA) Police Department - Chief Ronald Sellon
Mansfield (MA) Police Department - Russell Lehmann
Internationally Recognized Motivational Speaker, Author, and Advocate Leigh Ann Davis, Senior Director of Criminal Justice Initiatives
The Arc of the United States
- Preparing for Success: Strategic Planning for Collaborative Crisis Response - Hosted at IACP Conference 2021
Workshop Description
The development and delivery of effective crisis response programs require collaboration between law enforcement (LE), behavioral health (BH), and disability stakeholders. Key to these efforts is strategic planning to identify how individuals experiencing BH and disability-related crises interact with the criminal justice and crisis response systems. Strategic planning highlights gaps and strengths within existing systems and services to inform collaborative crisis response. This panel features LE, BH, and disability professionals from communities who have participated in strategic planning for a collaborative crisis response program. These professionals spoke about their experiences with the strategic planning process and identified key steps for effective collaboration.
Workshop Recording
Workshop Slide Deck
Workshop Handout
- Crisis Response for Rural Communities: Using Technology and Peer Support to Meet People in Crisis, Where They Are - Presented September 16, 2021
Webinar Description
Rural communities can face many challenges developing and delivering crisis response programs for people with behavioral health conditions and intellectual and developmental disabilities, including wide geographic areas to serve, limitations in options for local treatment and social services, and resource constraints related to funding and staffing. Across the United States, rural communities have adapted best practices in crisis response to overcome these challenges and address the need for services in their jurisdictions by having mental health providers meet people in crisis where they are, either in-person or through telehealth services. These programs can prevent the need for additional resources, such as police and emergency medical services, to respond to individuals in crisis and may enhance short- and long-term outcomes for these individuals.
Presented by the U.S. Department of Justice, Bureau of Justice Assistance's Academic Training to Inform Police Responses Initiative, this webinar featured two programs that have adapted crisis response for use in rural communities. Panelists presented the innovative approaches in crisis response implemented by their programs and discussed the challenges of ensuring the needs of individuals in crisis who live in rural communities are met. Additionally, the Academic Training team highlighted key resources to support rural communities in developing and implementing crisis response in their jurisdiction.
Presentations- Crisis Response for Rural Communities: "The GLMHC App"
Larry Smith, CPRSS; Chief Executive Officer
Grand Lake Mental Health Center, Inc.
Josh Cantwell, LCSE; Chief Operating Officer
Grand Lake Mental Health Center, Inc. A Unique Partnership of People with Lived Experience, Law Enforcement, and Community Partners
Kasey Moyer; Executive Director
Mental Health Association of Nebraska
Captain Mike Woolman
Lincoln (NE) Police Department
- Transforming Dispatch and Crisis Response Services: Meeting Challenges with Innovation - Presented March 2, 2021
Webinar Description
Historically, law enforcement has been the default response to all 911 calls for service, including incidents involving individuals experiencing crises related to behavioral health conditions and intellectual and developmental disabilities. It has been observed that many of these incidents are service-based calls, where the presence of law enforcement may not be needed. In recent years, communities have increased efforts to reorganize their crisis response systems, training 911 call-takers and dispatchers to shift away from directing law enforcement as first responders to these calls. This webinar featured four programs that have leveraged the training, policies, and procedures of 911 call-takers and dispatch when restructuring their community’s response to crisis incidents. Panelists presented the innovative approaches in crisis response implemented by their programs and discussed the challenges of ensuring appropriate services are dispatched to crisis incidents to best meet the needs of individuals.
Presentations
- Training of CIT Dispatch Trainers
Ruth H. Simera, Med, LSW; Executive Director
Coordinating Centers of Excellence, Northeast Ohio Medical University - Colorado Justice Mental Health Collaboration Program: Dispatch/Crisis Services Collaboration
Peggy Heil, LCSW; Behavioral Health Specialist
Colorado Division of Criminal Justice
Abigail S. Tucker, PsyD
SHE Consulting, LLC - Albuquerque Police Department's IDD Training for Telecommunicators
Ben Melendrez, Detective
Albuquerque (NM) Police Department - Transitioning 911 Response: San Francisco's Street Crisis Response Team (SCRT) Pilot Program
Robert Smuts, Deputy Director
San Francisco Department of Emergency Management
Simon Pang, Section Chief of Community Paramedicine
San Francisco Fire Department
Webinar Video
Webinar Slides
Webinar Transcript
911 Distressed Caller Diversion Program in Broome County, NY Fact Sheet
- Crisis Response for Rural Communities: "The GLMHC App"
Law Enforcement Engagement with People with Behavioral Health Conditions and Developmental Disabilities Roundtable - Hosted August 18, 2020 - August 19, 2020
In August 2020, a multi-disciplinary group of individuals with subject matter expertise in police responses to people with behavioral health (BH) conditions and intellectual and developmental disabilities (IDD) convened virtually to participate in the Law Enforcement Engagement with People with Behavioral Health Conditions and Developmental Disabilities Stakeholder Roundtable. This roundtable was designed to inform the work of the Academic Training to Inform Police Responses Initiative by facilitating discussions related to:
- Opportunities to advance the safety and effectiveness of police engagement with people with (BH) conditions and IDD,
- Best practices in current crisis response models and collaboration between police and service provider partners, and
Existing and needed products and resources to support police agencies and their service provider partners in the delivery of effective responses.
The Stakeholder Roundtable hosted presentations on existing efforts in police responses to people with BH conditions and IDD. These presentations were designed to facilitate discussions of best practices in police and community responses, methods of police-BH and police-disability collaboration, and potential barriers to effective responses to people with BH conditions and IDD.
The presenters included:Presenter Topic Dr. Rebecca Neusteter
Director, University of Chicago Health LabUnderstanding Police Response through Examining 911 Call for Service Data Ariel Simms, Esq.
Senior Program Manager & Attorney, The Arc of the United StatesThe Arc of the United States’ National Center on Criminal Justice and Disability Pathways to Justice® Initiative Assistant Chief Kevin Hall
Tucson (AZ) Police DepartmentTucson Police Department’s Mental Health Support Team (MHST) Peggy Heil
Behavioral Health Specialist, Colorado Division of Criminal JusticeIntegrated Dispatch and Crisis Service Response Assistant Chief Wendy Baimbridge
Houston (TX) Police DepartmentHouston Police Department’s Mental Health Division Tim Black
Director of Consulting, White Bird ClinicCrisis Assistance Helping Out on the Streets (CAHOOTS; Eugene, OR) Chief Gina Hawkins
Fayetteville (NC) Police DepartmentFayetteville Police Department’s Crisis Intervention Team (CIT) Dr. Margie Balfour
Chief of Quality and Clinical Innovation, Connections Health Solutions Associate Professor of Psychiatry; University of ArizonaSouthern Arizona’s Crisis Response Center and Crisis System A full report of the Law Enforcement Engagement with People with Behavioral Health Conditions and Developmental Disabilities Stakeholder Roundtable can be found here. This report provides:
- An account of the planning and delivery of the Roundtable, including the processes for participant selection and activities across the two-day meeting;
- A description of the major themes of the discussions, polls, and survey responses generated by the Stakeholder Roundtable participants; and
- Recommendations for future efforts to facilitate collaborative responses to people with BH issues and IDD within communities.
- Chief William Scott
Additional Resources
Bureau of Justice Assistance's Police Mental Health Collaboration Toolkit
Bureau of Justice Assistance's Justice and Mental Health Collaboration (JMHCP) Program
Council of State Governments (CSG) Justice Center: Police Mental Health Collaborations
International Association of Chiefs of Police's (IACP) One Mind Campaign
National League of Cities (NLC): Addressing Mental Health, Substance Use, and Homelessness
Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration's (SAMSHA's) GAINS (Gather, Assess, Integrate, Network, and Stimulate) Center
The Arc of the United States' Pathways to Justice
This project was supported by Grant No. 2020-NT-BX-K001 awarded by the Bureau of Justice Assistance. The Bureau of Justice Assistance is a component of the Department of Justice’s Office of Justice Programs, which also includes the Bureau of Justice Statistics, the National Institute of Justice, the Office of Juvenile Justice and Delinquency Prevention, the Office for Victims of Crime, and the SMART Office. Points of view or opinions in this document are those of the authors and do not necessarily reflect the official positions or policies of the U.S. Department of Justice.
Contact [email protected] to learn more.
Advancing Juvenile Justice in Law Enforcement
In 2011, the IACP and the John D. and Catherine T. MacArthur Foundation began a multi-year partnership to increase the leadership role of state and local law enforcement executives to effectively address systemic juvenile justice issues as well as improve local responses to juvenile offenders through a project titled Law Enforcement’s Leadership Role in the Advancement of Promising Practices in Juvenile Justice.
Through the MacArthur Foundation’s Models for Change initiative, which seeks to create innovative and sustainable models for juvenile justice reform in the United States, the IACP is working to expand opportunities for law enforcement executives to build partnerships and advance innovative approaches to address juvenile offenders and at-risk youth in their communities.
NATIONAL POLICY SUMMIT
In September 2013, the IACP convened the National Summit on Law Enforcement Leadership in Juvenile Justice to develop recommendations for concrete actions law enforcement leaders can take—in collaboration with 
partners at the local, state, and national levels—to improve responses to juvenile offenders and at-risk youth. The summit report, Law Enforcement’s Leadership Role in Juvenile Justice Reform: Actionable Recommendations for Practice & Policy, sets forth 33 recommendations developed during the two-day summit deliberations. The summit brought together a multidisciplinary group of 90 participants that included law enforcement executives and officers at various levels, judges, prosecutors, public defenders, youth, policymakers, researchers, mental health service providers, and a range of other juvenile justice stakeholders from across the country.
LEADERSHIP INSTITUTE ON JUVENILE JUSTICE
The IACP hosted two highly interactive, three-day training programs in Seattle, Washington (2014) and New Haven, Connecticut (2015) that collectively trained 60 law enforcement executives from across the country. The Institutes offered executives tools to improve their agencies’ response to juvenile offenders and at-risk youth and to engage in effective collaboration on juvenile justice reform in their communities. Participants were also introduced to cutting edge juvenile justice information and worked closely with Institute faculty to assess their agency’s current response to youth and to develop agency-specific action plans to implement upon their return home.
NATIONWIDE SURVEY OF LAW ENFORCEMENT EXECUTIVES
IACP partnered with a professional research company to conduct a national survey of more than 900 law enforcement executives. The survey assessed the current state of attitudes, knowledge and practices regarding how law enforcement agencies deal with juvenile offenders and at-risk youth and collaborate with juvenile justice system partners. IACP released the Executive Officer Survey Findings Report in September 2013 to serve as a resource for law enforcement and other juvenile justice system stakeholders, and to inform deliberations at the IACP National Summit and the curriculum of the Leadership Institute on Juvenile Justice.
PROJECT BACKGROUND
IACP’s work on juvenile justice reform in partnership with the MacArthur Foundation has been informed by extensive research and dialogue with law enforcement leaders and other juvenile justice system stakeholders. The project is guided by a multidisciplinary Advisory Group formed in 2011 to provide input on avenues for expanding the leadership role of law enforcement in juvenile justice system reform. Our Advisors have continued to serve as resources for the development of our nationwide survey, policy summit, and leadership institute.
The initial development of the project was also informed by three focus groups held in 2011 in Washington, DC, Chicago, IL and Philadelphia, PA. The focus groups brought together a broad array of juvenile and criminal justice community members to discuss needs and opportunities for reforms within law enforcement agencies and more effective collaboration across the juvenile justice system.
Contact
For more information please contact Sr. Program Manager Aviva Kurash at [email protected] or 800-843-4227 x809.
News in the Field
Juvenile Justice Leadership Academy for City Leaders
The National League of Cities Institute for Youth, Education, and Families will host a Municipal Leadership for Juvenile Justice Reform Leadership Academy on June 11-13, 2014 in Washington, D.C. This convening will provide city officials with proven practices developed through Models for Change and innovative ideas for how they can take up leadership roles in juvenile justice reform.
Georgetown University’s Center for Juvenile Justice Reform offers a certificate program on Reducing Racial and Ethnic Disparities in Juvenile Justice.Teams from local jurisdictions (e.g., law enforcement, district attorney, public defender, court personnel, and mental health system members) will learn how to develop strategies to reduce racial and ethnic disparities within their community’s juvenile justice system. Visit the Center for Juvenile Justice Reform certificate programs.
The Mental Health and Juvenile Justice Collaborative for Change in 2014 released a report, “Better Solutions for Youth with Mental Health Needs in the Juvenile Justice System.” An estimated 70 percent of justice-involved youth have a diagnosable mental health disorder. The report discusses challenges with inadequate resources to address these young people’s underlying issues and calls for an expansion of police-based mental health diversion models as well as training for police on responding to youth with mental health issues. View or download the report.
Youth Truancy and Mental Health Resources
IACP partnered with the John D. and Catherine T. MacArthur Foundation on a project on Law Enforcement’s Leadership Role in the Advancement of Promising Practices in Juvenile Justice, which seeks to increase the leadership role of state and local law enforcement executives to effectively address systemic juvenile justice issues as well as improve local responses to juvenile offenders.
Also with support from the MacArthur Foundation, the Vera Institute of Justice has launched the Status Offense Reform Center with the publication of From Courts to Communities: The Right Response to Truancy, Running Away, and Other Status Offenses, which outlines community-based alternatives to sending these cases to court.
Visit the Mental Health and Juvenile Justice Collaborative for Change.
Visit the Status Offense Reform Center.
MacArthur Foundation’s Resource Center Partners
Visit the MacArthur Foundation’s Resource Center Partners for information and resource on mental health and juvenile justice, truancy and other status offenses, dual status youth (those in the child welfare and delinquency systems), and juvenile indigent defense.
Alzheimer's Initiatives
An estimated 5.9 million Americans are currently living with Alzheimer’s disease. Of those, 3.3 million (60%) tend to wander away from safety. With projections showing that by the year 2050 as many as 16 million Americans will be living with Alzheimer's disease, the number of wandering individuals is expected to rise. In order to keep this population safe, first responders need to have the knowledge and tools at their disposal.
Resources
The 10 Warning Signs a Driver May Have Alzheimer's Disease or Dementia pocket card provides law enforcement with ten basic warning signs a driver may have Alzheimer’s disease or dementia and ten steps ensuring positive interactions.
The Did You Know postcard provides law enforcement with quick reference points on the Dos and Don’ts of effectively interacting with an individual with Alzheimer’s disease or dementia.
The Evaluative Questions to Ask Caregivers pocket card lists important questions to ask caregivers when beginning a search for at risk adults.
The Guide to Voluntary Registry Systems is a guide to local voluntary registry systems which enable agencies to have more awareness of vulnerable individuals in their communities.
The IACP Model Policy provides guidance for the response and investigation of missing persons with Alzheimer’s disease and related dementias (AD/D).
The Identifying and Evaluating the At-Risk Older Adult evaluation card contains assessment questions to help law enforcement identify and evaluate an at-risk adult’s orientation and memory. This resource also provides recommendations law enforcement can provide regarding driving for individuals who are exhibiting impaired orientation and memory.
The Identifying and Helping a Driver with Alzheimer’s Disease or Dementia brochure provides law enforcement and motorist assist workers with the warning signs a driver may have Alzheimer’s disease or dementia and includes information about what to do when interacting with an individual who may have Alzheimer’s disease or dementia.
The MedicAlert Access informational flyer provides information on MedicAlert services to assist law enforcement searching for lost individuals.
The Senior Drivers: Did You Know? postcard informs law enforcement of the signs of unsafe driving and provides them with steps that can be taken when interacting with a senior driver who is exhibiting unsafe driving.
Roll-Call Training Videos
Roll-Call Training Videos
The IACP’s Alzheimer’s Initiatives training program has developed four short training videos that discuss various situations law enforcement and first responders may encounter a person with Alzheimer’s disease or dementia.
Download the Companion Discussion Guide
Available Videos
- Driver Assessment (traffic stop) – Learn to recognize signs of impaired driving due to Alzheimer’s disease or dementia. (5:35) (Dennis, MA)
- Missing Person (on foot) – Techniques for interviewing caregivers and search and rescue when someone with dementia goes missing on foot. (6:22) (Montgomery County, MD)
- Missing Person (by car) – Techniques for interviewing caregivers and search and rescue when someone with dementia goes missing by car. (7:24) (Vail, CO)
- Overview of Search Protocol – Extensive overview of search protocol for someone with Alzheimer’s disease or dementia. (8:48) (Houston, TX)
Follow the below steps to gain access to the videos:
- Go to https://learn.theiacp.org
- Click log-in on the left hand side (blue box)
- Create an account
- On the left-hand side, below the three grey boxes (All Categories, All Types, 3 Selected) type Alzheimer’s into the search bar. Click Find
- Click on the “Alzheimer’s Initiatives Program Roll-Call Training Videos”
- Click yellow “Register (Free!)” button on upper right side
- Click Register and enter information.
- Click View Cart
- Click Submit
- Click the link that takes you back to the videos page and now you can watch them
The videos will continue to be available to you in your Dashboard!
Webinars
Responding to Alzheimer’s Disease: The 3 stages of Alzheimer’s Disease – from the perspective of trainer Deborah Thompson (8:56) (Dennis, MA)
Responding to Alzheimer’s Disease: Situations in which Law Enforcement/First Responders Might Encounter People With Alzheimer’s Disease – from the perspective of trainer Tim Sutton (24:40) (Richmond, VA)
Helpful Links
Organizations
- ADvancing States
- Alzheimer's Association
- The Alzheimer’s Foundation of America
- Alzheimers.gov
- American Association of Retired Persons (AARP)
- Bureau of Justice Assistance
- National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA)
- National Institute of Health (NIH)
- National Institute on Aging (NIA)
Programs
Resources
Contact Information
For more information, please contact us at [email protected]
 | This project is supported by Cooperative Agreement No. 2019-NT-BX-K002 awarded by the Bureau of Justice Assistance, Office of Justice Programs, U.S. Department of Justice. The opinions contained herein are those of the author(s) and do not necessarily represent the official position or policies of the U.S. Department of Justice. References to specific agencies, companies, products, or services should not be considered an endorsement by the author(s) or the U.S. Department of Justice. Rather, the references are illustrations to supplement discussion of the issues. |
Anti-Human Trafficking Training and Technical Assistance
Upcoming Events
First Surviving, Then Thriving: Co-response and Deflection for Human Trafficking Victims with Substance Use Disorders
Monday, June 8, 2026, 2:30 PM - 3:30 PM CT
This in-person workshop will be held at the National Co-Responder Conference in Dallas, TX.
Behind Closed Doors: Uncovering the Intersect Between Human Trafficking and Intimate Partner Violence
Date/Time TBD
This in-person workshop will be held at the IACP 2026 Annual Conference and Exposition in Orlando, FL, in October 2026.
Coerced to Commit - Understanding Forced Criminality in Labor Trafficking
Monday, November 9, 2026, 3:45 PM - 5 PM ET
This workshop will be held at the virtual National Labor Trafficking Conference.
IACP Resources
Building Police Agency Capacity: A Toolkit for Human Trafficking Investigations The IACP is pleased to announce the release of an online resource toolkit to enhance the ability of state, local, and tribal police agencies to identify and assist human trafficking victims and to conduct trauma-informed, victim-centered investigations. This toolkit is supported by the U.S. Department of Justice, Office for Victims of Crime. Access the toolkit here! | The IACP and the National White Collar Crime Center (NW3C), with support from the Office for Victims of Crime, introduces the TraffickSTOP (Signs to Observe and Prevent) program – a human trafficking identification and prevention curriculum for high school students. The TraffickSTOP program uses a facilitator-guided approach, with school resource officers (SROs) or other police personnel delivering the curriculum in schools. The TraffickSTOP toolkit includes curriculum, meeting plans, posters, and additional resources to implement the program in any high school. A self-paced online training course teaches facilitators how to deliver the curriculum.
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Financial Crime and Human Trafficking The IACP, in partnership with the National White Collar Crime Center (NW3C) and the Office for Victims of Crime (OVC), developed an online, self-paced training on how human trafficking intersects with financial crimes. This training will teach investigators how financial investigations can result in additional charges beyond human trafficking and assist prosecution of offenders at the local, state, and federal levels. To register for this course, visit IACPlearn.
| Human Trafficking Task Force Protocol Development Training Video Series The International Association of Chiefs of Police (IACP), in partnership with ICF, Inc. and the Office for Victims of Crime (OVC), introduces a three-part video series to promote the development of anti-human trafficking task force protocols by local law enforcement, prosecutors, and victim service providers across the United States. This training video series explains the various steps to developing anti-human trafficking task force protocols. The series is engaging and educational and encourages local law enforcement, prosecutors, and service providers to complete the tasks needed to create necessary protocols. The topics of the series include: 1. What is a protocol and why is it important? 2. How does a task force develop a protocol? 3. From theory to practice: implementing protocols. |
Considerations for Recording Human Trafficking Victim Interviews This document provides information for multidisciplinary anti-human trafficking task forces to consider the advantages and disadvantages of recording human trafficking victim interviews. This guide discusses five interview goals including building trust and rapport, minimizing re-traumatization, gathering information and establishing the elements of the crime, determining credibility, and supporting prosecution. The document also touches on promising practices for informed consent when recording or not recording victim interviews.
| Enhanced Collaborative Model (ECM) Anti-Human Trafficking Task Force Protocol Development Checklists The International Association of Chiefs of Police (IACP) offers a toolkit of Enhanced Collaborative Model (ECM) protocol development checklists that provide a list of items human trafficking task forces should consider when developing protocols specific to their local task force. These checklists encompass best practices, a trauma-informed and victim-centered approach, and are guided by the ECM, directing the development and implementation of strong and effective protocols. |
About the Enhanced Collaborative Model This document provides a brief overview of the U.S. Department of Justice Enhanced Collaborative Model to Combat Human Trafficking program, highlights successes from participating human trafficking task forces, and summarizes IACP’s training and technical assistance resources.
| Development & Operations Roadmap for Multidisciplinary Anti-Human Trafficking Task Forces Developing a multidisciplinary anti-human trafficking task force is a process that requires significant time, attention, and intention. In recognition of the challenges involved in this process, the roadmap provides new and experienced anti-human trafficking task forces alike with guidance to assess and plan task force development from start to sustainability. |
IACPlearn – Anti-Human Trafficking Webinars and Training IACPlearn is your hub for all on-demand and live virtual learning such as training, webinars, and podcasts. Webinars and training on topics including identifying, investigating and prosecuting multiple forms of human trafficking and operating a collaborative, multidisciplinary human trafficking task force can be found on this platform.
| Online peer-to-peer sharing community exclusively for DOJ-funded ECM Human Trafficking Task Forces. Here you will be able to connect with fellow Task Force members, participate in discussion, view weekly spotlights, share and find resources, network with other members, and make suggestions for what you want to see in the community. Request an account here. |
Child Sex Trafficking Tools For Law Enforcement Child sex trafficking involves a number of complex crimes requiring law enforcement to collaborate with multiple community partners to identify and respond to child victims, while holding accountable those who are responsible for their exploitation. This includes working closely with prosecutors, schools, victim service providers, parole and probation, juvenile justice departments, child welfare agencies, and members of the community. This project aims to assist law enforcement leaders in adopting effective multidisciplinary approaches to address child sex trafficking in their communities.
| MAXIMIZING JUSTICE: Building a Prosecution Review Process This document assists multidisciplinary anti-human trafficking task forces to develop a process that details how they will work with local, state, and federal prosecutors to conduct case reviews and referrals for both state and federal prosecutions. This guidance helps stakeholders to evaluate federal and state criminal justice systems in order to make informed decisions on the most effective route to pursue prosecution based on a thorough analysis of each legal system’s statutes, policies, and procedures. |
Worksheet: Planning for Task Force Sustainability This worksheet summarizes some questions a task force might consider when planning for sustainable operations after Enhanced Collaborative Model (ECM) program funding ends. This worksheet also guides the development of tools needed for the successful implementation of a sustainability plan, including outreach materials, communication plans, fundraising plans, and systems development needs.
| Human Trafficking Law Enforcement Training Guidebook The Crime of Human Trafficking: A Law Enforcement Guide to Identification and Investigation includes information on federal law, tools for identification, investigation and response, and resources for victim assistance. Recognizing the international nature of human trafficking and the limited language resources and interpretation capabilities facing many police departments, IACP has translated the guidebook into Spanish. |
The Crime of Human Trafficking: Roll-Call Training Video This three-part roll-call training video provides law enforcement and their partners with information so that they can effectively identify and respond to human trafficking crimes. The segments include Defining the Crime, Identifying and Responding, and Investigating and Interviewing.
| The Crime of Human Trafficking: A Law Enforcement Guide Discussion Questions This discussion guide is designed to reinforce key information contained in the roll call training video and assist officers in applying this knowledge to their local community. To increase the impact of this video, please use in conjunction with the IACP guidebook, The Crime of Human Trafficking: A Law Enforcement Guide to Identification and Investigation. The page numbers following each question reference pages in the guidebook where more information can be found.
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About IACP’s Human Trafficking Training and Technical Assistance Programs
Building Agency Capacity: A Toolkit for Human Trafficking Investigations (Project One-Pager)
The IACP is pleased to announce the release of an online resource toolkit to enhance the ability of state, local, and tribal police agencies to identify and assist human trafficking victims and to conduct trauma-informed, victim-centered investigations. This toolkit is supported by the U.S. Department of Justice, Office for Victims of Crime. Access the toolkit here!
For more information, please contact the IACP Anti-Human Trafficking team at [email protected].
National Human Trafficking Training and Technical Assistance (TTA) Program for Enhanced Collaborative Model (ECM) Task Forces
The IACP, in collaboration with the Office for Victims of Crime (OVC), aims to increase the organizational capacity of ECM anti-human trafficking task forces and professionals in policing, prosecution, victim services, and related fields to better identify victims, provide services, and successfully investigate and prosecute cases at all levels.
The IACP leverages innovative techniques and promising practices to:
promote trauma-informed and victim-centered investigative and prosecutorial techniques;
address core task force operational topics impacting ECM task forces that span across multisector audiences;
foster peer engagement and learning opportunities across ECM task forces; and
support law enforcement to establish the trust of persons subjected to human trafficking and encourage participation with investigative efforts.
The IACP provides an array of web-based and in-classroom training for anti-human trafficking professionals. If you have any questions regarding the resources listed below, please contact the IACP Anti-Human Trafficking team at [email protected]. The IACP offers the following resources:
Open-Access Resources (OVC grant program affiliation not required)
Webinar Series, a series of educational webinars covering a wide range of topics in combating human trafficking. You can find our existing library of webinars on our online learning portal, IACPlearn and check our Upcoming Events section above for upcoming webinars in the series.
Protocol Development Flash Sessions, a three-part video series that promotes the development of anti-human trafficking task force protocols by local law enforcement, prosecutors, and victim service providers across the United States. The series is engaging and educational and encourages local law enforcement, prosecutors, and service providers to complete the tasks needed to create necessary protocols. The topics of the series include: 1. What is a protocol and why is it important? 2. How does a task force develop a protocol? 3. From theory to practice: implementing protocols.
The Leadership Institute to Combat Human Trafficking, a two-day, in-person event that leverages police and prosecutorial leadership roles to make organizational change by developing and refining human trafficking responses.
Beyond the Basics: Advancing Human Trafficking Investigations & Prosecutions, a 2.5-day in-person training addressing investigation resources and methods; trauma-informed interviewing; working with victims of human trafficking; and key partnerships and strategies for successful prosecutions.
Collaboration Station, a 2-day, multidisciplinary, scenario-based training in which participants “walk in the shoes” of professional roles other than their own to consider shared challenges and strategies to overcome them from alternate perspectives.
Effective Strategies to Investigate and Prosecute Labor Trafficking in the United States, an engaging 2.5-day in-person training designed to prepare participants to identify, investigate, and prosecute labor trafficking crimes. This course enables investigators and prosecutors to proactively identify victims of labor trafficking and effectively investigate and prosecute offenders, using best practices and trauma-centered approaches.
Dedicated resources for Office for Victims of Crime (OVC)-funded Enhanced Collaborative Model (ECM) grantees are:
Task Force Connect, an online community exclusively for DOJ-funded ECM task force members. Task Force Connect provides an opportunity for law enforcement, service providers, task force coordinators, and other anti-human trafficking professionals to connect with each other and exchange ideas and information. Membership open only for ECM task force members.
Please check our Upcoming Events section at the top of this page to stay up to date with events upcoming on our training calendar.
Preventing Human Trafficking and Child Exploitation Through Education Partnerships
The IACP, in collaboration with the National White Collar Crime Center (NW3C), introduces the TraffickSTOP (Signs to Observe and Prevent) program―a human trafficking identification and prevention curriculum for high school students. With support from the Office for Victims of Crime (OVC), NW3C and IACP developed a toolkit with curriculum and resources. Click here to access the toolkit and accompanying training for police representatives to deliver the curriculum in their local schools.
The TraffickSTOP program uses a multidisciplinary approach, incorporating members of the OVC’s Enhanced Collaborative Model (ECM) Task Forces to Combat Human Trafficking program, school resource officers, other police personnel, social service providers, victim advocates, guidance counselors, students, and other community stakeholders.
Enhanced Collaborative Model Human Trafficking Task Force Map
Explore the map below to learn more about the DOJ-funded Enhanced Collaborative Model Anti-Human Trafficking Task Forces*.
*The Enhanced Collaborative Model Anti-Human Trafficking Task Force Program was established in 2015.
This map was produced by the International Association of Chiefs of Police under 2020-VT-BX-K002 awarded by the Office for Victims of Crime, Office of Justice Programs, U.S. Department of Justice. The opinions, findings, and conclusions or recommendations expressed in this map are those of the contributors and do not necessarily represent the official position or policies of the U.S. Department of Justice.
External Resources
Office for Victims of Crime Training and Technical Assistance Center
“Understanding Human Trafficking” Training Series
National Criminal Justice Training Center
“Faces of Human Trafficking” Video Series
Project Roadmap Training and Technical Assistance Program
National Center for Missing & Exploited Children (NCMEC)
U.S. Department of State: Human Smuggling and Trafficking Center
U.S. Department of State: Office to Monitor and Combat Trafficking in Persons
U.S. Department of Homeland Security (DHS): Human Trafficking “Blue Campaign”
U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE): Human Trafficking
U.S. Department of Health and Human Services: Look Beneath the Surface Campaign
Reporting Human Trafficking
If you are a victim of human trafficking, call the National Human Trafficking Hotline, which operates 24-hours, 7-days-a-week, at 1-888-373-7888 or text BeFree (233733). The National Human Trafficking Hotline is not a law enforcement or immigration authority and is operated by a nongovernmental organization. Their primary mission is to help human trafficking victims and survivors in accessing services and safety.
- To report suspected human trafficking to law enforcement, call Homeland Security Investigations at 1-866-DHS-2ICE (1-866-347-2423) or 1-802-872-6199 (international), or online at www.ice.gov/tips.
- Contact your local Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI) office directly or online at https://tips.fbi.gov.
- Report child sexual exploitation on the National Center for Missing and Exploited Children (NCMEC) CyberTipline at http://www.missingkids.com/cybertipline or 1-800-THE-LOST.
- Contact your local law enforcement agency or anti-human trafficking task force in your area.
This webpage was produced by the International Association of Chiefs of Police under 2020-VT-BX-K002 and 15POVC-21-GK-03262-HT, awarded by the Office for Victims of Crime, Office of Justice Programs, U.S. Department of Justice. The opinions, findings, and conclusions or recommendations expressed in this webpage are those of the contributors and do not necessarily represent the official position or policies of the U.S. Department of Justice.
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Automated License Plate Recognition
This webpage was created to share information, resources, and best practices associated with ALPR policy, planning, implementation, management, and performance.
About ALPR
ALPR systems function to automatically capture an image of the vehicle’s license plate, transform that image into alphanumeric characters using optical character recognition or similar software, compare the plate number acquired to one or more databases of vehicles of interest to law enforcement and other agencies, and to alert the officer when a vehicle of interest has been observed. Learn more about all of the elements of automated license plate recognition, and its use and deployment by law enforcement.
News
Law enforcement use of automated license plate readers is often reported in local, regional, and national media. News stories reviewing the deployment and use of ALPR help document how this technology is implemented, its value for law enforcement and public safety, and emerging trends in policy and operations.
News Articles
- Man Arrested After Assaulting Officer During Traffic Stop, Leading Police on Chase in North Hills (3/23/21)
- Manhunt for Suspect After Shootings at Spas in Atlanta, Georgia (3/17/21)
- License Plate-Reading Cameras Stopping Criminals From Committing More Crimes (2/5/21)
- New Crime-Fighting Tool: Why License Plate Readers Are Going up in Some Paso Robles Intersections (12/22/20)
- Ammo, Badges From Mississippi Police Department Found During Florida Traffic Stop (1/12/21)
- Here’s How Wichita Police Say Photo-Taking License Plate Readers Are Helping Solve Crimes (12/17/20)
- License Plate Cameras Solved Almost 200 Crimes This Year, So Greenville Is Adding More (12/10/20)
- Hancock County Deputies Use License Plate Readers to Track Suspects (10/26/20)
- Caught on Camera: License Plate Reader Helps Deputies Track Attempted Burglary Suspects (10/22/20)
- VA. Police Can Keep License Plate Data Indefinitely, State Supreme Court Rules (10/22/20)
- Fayette‘s Eyes on Crime Bust 5 Suspects in 2 Stolen Vehicles (9/20/20)
- License Plate Reader Helps Deputies Nab Attempted Felony Murder Suspect (8/28/20)
- Crime Rate Down in Wellington as PBSO Touts License Plate Readers (5/14/2020)
- Law Enforcement ALPR Success Stories from September 2017 - September 2018 (Combined)
Policy & Privacy
ALPR technology must be properly deployed and carefully managed to ensure effective operations that recognize and respect the privacy interests and the civil rights and civil liberties of citizens.
Owners of motorized vehicles driven on public thoroughfares are required by law to annually register their vehicles with their state bureau or department of motor vehicles, and to attach license plates that are publicly and legibly displayed. Vehicle license plates generally consist of a series of alpha numeric characters that reference the license plate to the specific vehicle registered (including the make, model, year, and vehicle identification number (VIN)) and the registered owner and/or lien holder of the vehicle.
ALPR systems capture a contextual photo of the vehicle, an image of the license plate, the geographic coordinates of where the image was captured, and the date and time of the recording. The ALPR system does not identify any individual or access any person's personal information through its analysis of license plate characters. The data captured by the ALPR unit itself is entirely anonymous. Officers can only identify the registered owner of a vehicle by querying a separate, secure state government database of vehicle license plate records, which is restricted, controlled, and audited. The federal Driver's Privacy Protection Act (DPPA) restricts access and prohibits the release of personal information from state motor vehicle records to ensure the privacy of citizens. 18 USC § 2721-2725.
Many jurisdictions are actively developing or considering legislation that will authorize, limit, and/or restrict the use of ALPR systems and the data they generate. At least 14 states have enacted legislation on the use of ALPRs. More detailed information can be found here.
Policy & Privacy Reports
- DHS: PIA for Acquisition/Use of Commercial Service (4/2/15)
- ARJIS Acceptable Use Policy for the Regional License Plate Reader System (2/13/15)
- IACP ALPR Policy and Operational Guidance
- IACP ALPR Privacy Impact Assessment
- NCRIC Privacy Impact Assessment
- Texas DPS Privacy Impact Assessment (Sep. 2014)
- RCMP Privacy Impact Assessment
- US DOJ - Privacy Impact Assessment Guidance
- DHS/FEMA Privacy Impact Assessment Guidance
- RAND License Plate Readers for Law Enforcement
- IACP Technology Policy Framework
IACP Resolution's
- Issuance of Digital License Plates (2020)
- The Public Safety and Homeland Security Needs for Retro-Reflective Front and Rear License Plates with Validation Stickers (2018)
- Encourage Law Enforcement to Utilize the IACP Automated License Plate Recognition Policy Guidance and the Use of NLETS for Sharing Automated License Plate Recognition Data (2017)
Research & Reports
Jurisdictions throughout the nation and around the world are continuing research on current operations, emerging best practices, performance metrics, and business benefit realization.
Recent research reports:
- IACP License Plate Reader (LPR) Use Cases, (2024)
- IACP Survey of Police Use of License Plate Reader Systems (2022)
- Vermont Department of Public Safety, Annual Report to the Vermont Senate and House Committees on Judiciary and Transportation as required by: 23 V.S.A. S 1607 Automated License Plate Recognition Systems (2015)
- RAND, License Plate Readers for Law Enforcement (2014)
- Roberts & Casanova, IACP ALPR Policy and Operational Guidance for Law Enforcement, (2012)
- Bart Custers, License Plate Readers in the Netherlands, (2012)
- Lum, Merola, Willis, and Cave: License Plate Recognition Technology (LPR): Impact Evaluation and Community Assessment (2010)
- Cohen, Plecas, and McCormick: A Report on the Utility of the Automated License Plate Recognition System in British Columbia (2007)
- Watson and Walsh: The Road Safety Implications of Automatic Number Plate Recognition Technology (ANPR) (2008)
Frequently Asked Questions
How does Automatic License Plate Recognition (ALPR) technology work?
ALPR systems generally consist of a high speed camera with an infrared (“IR”) filter or two cameras—one high resolution digital camera and one IR camera—to capture images of license plates; a processor and application capable of performing sophisticated optical character recognition (OCR) to transform the image of the plate into alphanumeric characters; application software to compare the transformed license plate characters to databases of license plates of interest to law enforcement; and a user interface to display the images captured, the results of the OCR transformation, and an alert capability to notify operators when a plate matching an agency’s “hot list” is observed. The precise configuration of ALPR systems varies depending on the manufacturer of the equipment and the specific operational deployment.
What data does an ALPR system collect?
ALPR systems typically capture the following information: a contextual photo of the vehicle, an image of the license plate, the geographic coordinates of where the image was captured, and the date and time of the recording. The systems also typically identify the specific camera/unit that captured the image. The ALPR camera does not identify any individual or access their personal information through its analysis of license plate numbers. The data captured by the ALPR unit itself is completely anonymous. There is no personally identifiable information contained in an ALPR record and the operator can only determine the registered owner of a vehicle by querying a separate, secure state government database of vehicle license plate records, which is restricted, controlled, and audited. The Federal Driver’s Privacy Protection Act (DPPA) restricts access and prohibits the release of personal information from State motor vehicle records to ensure the privacy of citizens. 18 USC § 2721-2725.
How long are ALPR records retained in a database?
Agencies vary in their ALPR data retention policies based in part on their strategic and tactical objectives in using the technology, and the specific laws and regulations of their jurisdictions. Research is presently underway to define specific ALPR metrics that will help in establishing an empirical foundation to data retention policies.
Who typically has access to an ALPR database? Is there an audit trail?
Only authorized law enforcement personnel who have met the minimum training, certification, and background checks required for access to criminal justice data should have access to the ALPR database. Access to an ALPR database should be restricted to trained and authorized law enforcement users who have a specific and approved authorization to access the database for a lawful purpose that includes both a need to know and a right to know the information. All queries for ALPR data should be subject to auditing and all access should be recorded in audit logs which should be maintained for a suitable period of time consistent with state records archival laws. Audit reports should be structured in a format that is understandable and useful and contain, at a minimum:
- The name and agency of the law enforcement user;
- The date and time of access;
- The specific data accessed;
- The authorized law enforcement or public safety justification for access, including a relevant case number if available.
What are examples of a lawful purpose to access an ALPR system?
Examples of lawful purposes to access an ALPR system may include:
- Locate stolen, wanted, or suspect vehicles
- Locate suspect(s) of criminal investigation or arrest warrants
- Locate witnesses or victims of violent crime
- Locate missing children, elderly persons, or other missing persons (Amber/Silver Alerts)
- Protect the public during special events/situational awareness
- Protect critical infrastructure
How accurate is the ALPR technology?
As ALPR technology is translating optical characters to digital data there is a small error rate in translation of alphanumeric characters that are similar in shape. ALPR operators must recognize that the data collected from the ALPR device, and the content of the referenced "hot lists," consists of data that may or may not be accurate, despite ongoing efforts to maximize the currency and accuracy of such data. To the greatest extent possible, vehicle license plate information must be verified from separate law enforcement information sources to confirm the vehicle's alert status and justification for law enforcement contact. Law enforcement users of ALPR data must, to the fullest extent possible, visually confirm that the plate characters generated by the ALPR readers accurately correspond with the digital image of the license plate in question.
Can I request the images of where my vehicle has been seen by ALPR?
Availability to ALPR data in most jurisdictions is restricted to law enforcement personnel with a lawful purpose to access the data, as well as a need and right to know the information. Access to ALPR data is typically restricted and strictly audited. There are law enforcement agencies that do allow access to ALPR data for the registered owner of the vehicle on a case-by-case basis. Please contact your city, county, or state law enforcement agency for their specific ALPR policies to determine if you have access to ALPR data related to your registered vehicle(s).
Do ALPR systems provide constant surveillance of my location?
No. ALPR systems do not provide constant surveillance of vehicles. The systems do provide authorized law enforcement personnel with a pointer for one moment in time and the location where a vehicle's license plate passed an ALPR device.
Can ALPR devices see into my vehicle and do they use facial recognition software?
Unlike red-light cameras, ALPR devices do not have illumination to aid in identifying the driver or potential passengers of the vehicle. The purpose of ALPR technology is to identify vehicles, not the occupants. If ambient lighting is sufficient or a subject is outside and near the vehicle at the time an ALPR-equipped vehicle passes, their image may be captured in the contextual photo taken by the ALPR unit of the vehicle. This contextual photo is simply designed to provide context, i.e., to identify the specific vehicle to which the license plate is attached to aid the operator in quickly identifying which of several vehicles in the immediate vicinity is carrying the alerted tag. ALPR systems are not designed to collect images of drivers or vehicle occupants, nor are they integrated with facial recognition solutions or any applications that simultaneously identify the registered owner or passengers.
Is every ALPR image reviewed?
No. Images captured by ALPR systems are only reviewed by law enforcement personnel when required for a lawful purpose and all access is strictly monitored and audited.
What federal laws are there regarding the use of ALPR systems?
At the time of this writing there are no federal laws that explicitly govern or limit the use of ALPR technology or taking photographs of things that are plainly visible from public spaces by law enforcement agencies.
Building Police Agency Capacity: A Toolkit for Human Trafficking Investigations
A Toolkit for Human Trafficking Investigations
This Toolkit provides practical tools and resources to assist police agencies in building or enhancing their capacity to identify and assist human trafficking victims and conduct investigations using trauma-informed and victim-centered principles. This resource is targeted to police leaders, officers, investigators, and supervisors.
Police Response to Human Trafficking: Agency Self-Assessment
The Police Response to Human Trafficking: Agency Self-Assessment is a tool to assist police agency leadership in determining a baseline of how effective their agency response is to human trafficking and identifying areas of opportunity to enhance their anti-human trafficking efforts.
Police Response to Human Trafficking: Agency Action Planning Guide
The Police Response to Human Trafficking: Agency Action Planning Guide assists police agency leadership in prioritizing what steps should be taken to enhance agency anti-human trafficking operations.
Police Agency Policy Considerations for Human Trafficking Response and Investigations
The Police Agency Policy Considerations for Human Trafficking Response and Investigations provides police professionals with a comprehensive framework to develop, review, or enhance agency human trafficking policies, procedures, and protocols.
Guidelines for Developing and Vetting Human Trafficking Training
The Guidelines for Developing and Vetting Human Trafficking Training provides promising practice considerations for police agencies in developing new or selecting existing anti-human trafficking training for their agency.
Human Trafficking Police Case Report Checklist
The Human Trafficking Police Case Report Checklist is designed for officers, investigators, and supervisors to use when writing or reviewing case reports, or as a training tool to highlight the information needed for a thorough report.
Human Trafficking Investigations Tip Sheet
The Human Trafficking Investigations Tip Sheet provides first responders with steps to facilitate effective victim response and investigation upon identifying potential victims of human trafficking.
Webinar Series
Developing Data-informed Responses to Human Trafficking Online Workshop
Online workshop to assist police agencies in starting or refining efforts to leverage data to inform human trafficking response strategies.
A Hidden Crime: Labor Trafficking in the U.S. Webinar
Provides foundational insights about labor trafficking, including individuals and industries affected, as well as strategies for identifying labor trafficking cases.
Evolving Police Responses to Human Trafficking: Lessons Learned from Three Jurisdictions Online Workshop
A diverse panel of police leaders from across the United States discuss what human trafficking looks like in their communities and how they have evolved their strategies to address this complicated crime. Learn more about IACP resources for police agencies to enhance their capacity to identify and assist victims of human trafficking and to hold offenders accountable.
Demonstration Site Initiative
These tools were developed in collaboration with subject matter experts in the field, a project advisory group, and six police agency demonstration sites. (Project One-Pager)
IACP thanks the six agencies that were involved in this effort and congratulates them on the progress they have made to enhance their agency anti-human trafficking operations:
For more information on IACP's anti-human trafficking initiatives, including even more resources, visit www.theiacp.org/humantrafficking or contact [email protected].
Byrne Criminal Justice Innovation Training and Technical Assistance
Byrne Criminal Justice Innovation Program
The Byrne Criminal Justice Innovation (BCJI) Program, formerly the Innovations in Community-Based Crime Reduction (CBCR) program, is a program of the Bureau of Justice Assistance, Office of Justice Programs, U.S. Department of Justice. BCJI supports data-driven, place-based, and community-oriented strategies to reduce crime, build partnership, and enhance trust in neighborhoods with hot spots of crime. Through a broad cross-sector partnership team, including neighborhood residents, BCJI grantees employ collaborative problem-solving processes to implement a wide range of crime prevention and intervention strategies to address the conditions which contribute to crime.
The BCJI model is based on the principle that sustainable reductions in crime require collaboration among partners in the criminal justice system, service providers, and the communities they serve. The IACP, working with the University of Cincinnati and the University of Nevada, Las Vegas, provides training and technical assistance (TTA) for BCJI grantee sites. The IACP promotes collaborative problem-solving processes between residents, community stakeholders, law enforcement, and criminal justice partners to collectively identify and address hot spot areas of criminal activity.
BCJI Program Model
Place-Based Strategies
BCJI grantee sites target where crime is concentrated to enhance the impact of community-based crime reduction efforts and neighborhood revitalization strategies.
Building Partnerships and Enhance Trust
BCJI grantee sites utilize collaborative problem-solving processes to strengthen cross-sector partnerships and enhance trust.
Data and Evidence Driven
BCJI grantee sites improve the use of data and research to guide program strategy and enhance community-based crime reduction efforts.
Community Engagement
BCJI grantee sites engage residents and community stakeholders in shaping and sustaining crime reduction and neighborhood revitalization efforts.
Resources
Below are resources that can help BCJI sites identify the programmatic requirements to successfully implement crime reduction strategies in their communities.
BCJI Competitive Grant Announcements
The BCJI program promotes the integration of data-driven, place-based, comprehensive, and community-oriented strategies to reduce crime and revitalize communities. Applicants should consider Department of Justice priorities, including reducing gun violence, dismantling gang activity, and strengthening local capacity to combat drug abuse. Applicants should also consider targeting areas where crime is disproportionately concentrated. This multifaceted approach addresses the root causes of crime to promote long-term, sustainable change.
Previous BCJI Solicitations
BCJI Project Resources
As part of the BCJI Program, sites are required to develop an action plan that describes the strategies they will take that align with the core elements of BCJI. Below are resources that can assist with formulating an action plan based on the work that took place during the planning phase.
The Local Initiatives Support Corporation (LISC) also offers templates, briefs, and site profiles of former and current BCJI sites who are graduated or in the planning phases of the program.
Webinars
In order to enhance the four pillars of BCJI, the IACP facilitated several webinars around topics such as implementation science, violence reduction in hot spots, and Action Plan guidance.
Using Data To Develop and Assess Collaborative Crime Reduction Strategies: Dr. Nick Corsaro, BCJI TTA partner from the University of Cincinnati, draws upon BCJI grantee site's experiences to show how data can be used to develop robust crime reduction strategies and enhance collaborative project partnerships. Click here to access the slides from the webinar.
Strategies for Abating Nuisance Properties: Mark Manning is Chief Counsel for Quality of Life with the Law Department for the City of Cincinnati (Ohio) and supports the BCJI Fiscal Year 2018 Cincinnati grantee site’s Place Network Investigations of Violent Offender Territories (PIVOT) program in its efforts to combat nuisance properties in Cincinnati’s East Price Hill neighborhood. In this presentation, Mark draws upon his experience to discuss nuisance property abatement and how to work with property owners to address this prevalent issue that is often a component of crime reduction and neighborhood revitalization strategies. Click here to access the slides to this webinar.
Community Building Using 2nd Generation CPTED: Dr. Stacey Clouse from the University of Nevada, Las Vegas, provides an overview and examples of how 2nd generation Crime Prevention Through Environmental Design (CPTED) techniques can be used for violence interruption, restorative justice, and non-justice involved community responses in areas where the environment tends to create crime opportunities. Concepts, such as social cohesion, community culture, connectivity, and threshold capacity, are explained to inform attendees of their value and on how to implement similar strategies in their own locality.
Implementation Plan Guidance Webinar: The IACP, in partnership with the Bureau of Justice Assistance, U.S. Department of Justice, hosts this webinar to share important information about creating and submitting BCJI (formerly known as the CBCR program) implementation plans. The objectives of the Implementation Plan Guidance Webinar are to discuss the Implementation Plan Guidance Document; identify the steps for submitting an implementation plan; explain the implementation plan approval process; and answer questions regarding the implementation plan process. Click here to access the outline from the webinar.
You Can't Read the Label from Inside the Jar - 10 Disruptive Truth Bombs About Criminology, Implementation Science, and Real-World Organizational Change: Dr. Glenn Tapia provides the 'real talk' necessary to think critically about the truths, lies, twists, and real-world trials about criminology, implementation science, and organizational change. Attendees learn how to think beyond the conventional norms about how to effect real organizational change and are introduced to the 10 Essential Principles for Implementation Leadership, which are scientifically supported approaches to lead real-world change in criminal justice settings. Click here to access the slides from the webinar.
Deterring and Reducing Opportunities for Violence in Hot Spots: Dr. Tamara Herold from the University of Nevada, Las Vegas, discusses how BCJI grantee sites can work with their partners to 1) describe or define their BCJI geographic focus area; 2) explore evidence-based strategies that could be used to reduce violence in the community based on the hot spot definition; and 3) explore a newly developed strategy called "place network investigations" that can help sites generate long-term, sustainable violence reduction in the BCJI sites. Click here to access the slides from the webinar.
Innovative Community Engagement Strategies for Community-Based Crime Reduction: In this webinar, Aqeela Sherrills, Senior Advisor at the Alliance for Safety and Justice and a consultant for the IACP, discusses innovative community engagement strategies based on his experience implementing community-based violence reduction strategies and his critical role in developing the successful Newark Community Street Team. Aqeela provides participants with a brief history and overview of community-based violence reduction efforts, as well as the innovative techniques utilized by the Newark Community Street Team, with a particular focus on how to reach communities in the time of COVID-19 and stay-at-home orders. Click here to access the slides from the webinar.
Principled Policing - Procedural Justice and Implicit Bias: In this webinar, Captain Scott Meadors (retired), from the Stockton, California, Police Department, discusses the four tenets of procedural justice: police legitimacy and community trust, focused intervention work, officer wellness, and implicit bias. He also covers implicit bias's impact on behavior. Click here to access the slides from the webinar.
Diagnosing and Addressing Criminal Justice Culture for the Purpose of Change and Implementation: In this webinar, Glenn A. Tapia, Director of Leadership and Organizational Intelligence at the Alliance for Community and Justice Innovation, discusses how BCJI sites can utilize the IDEATE™ framework to change their team's culture to focus on implementation. Click here to access the slides from the webinar.
How to Get the Most Out of Your Data-Sharing Partnerships: This webinar features Dr. Robin Engel, Professor of Criminal Justice at the University of Cincinnati (UC), Director of the IACP/UC Center for Police Research and Policy, and consultant with the BCJI project for the IACP. Dr. Engel reviews how BCJI sites can get the most out of their data-sharing partnerships and how practitioners can use data to promote long-term project sustainability. Click here to access the slides from the webinar.
Designing Out Crime and Creating Safe Spaces: In this webinar, IACP TTA partner, Dr. Tamara Herold explains how the built environment and place management practices can reduce crime opportunities and identify common conditions of criminogenic places. Dr. Herold also outlines several techniques that BCJI grantee sites can use to reduce crime and offers resources to help sites conduct place assessments and place-based interventions. Click here to access the slides from the webinar.
Mission Creep vs. Strategic Adaptations - BCJI: In this webinar, IACP TTA partner Dr. Nicholas Corsaro, from the University of Cincinnati, outlines how BCJI grantee sites should consider going about their crime prevention mission based on process and impact assessments from other successful BCJI sites. Click here to access the slides from webinar.
Library of Resources
The Library of Byrne Criminal Justice Innovation Resources is now live. This library is a searchable database of resources related to innovative community-based crime reduction strategies. Included are a variety of in-person and online trainings, webinars, tools, articles, publications, and other resources to better inform crime reduction efforts. Resources are of no- to low-cost to law enforcement, community-led organizations, and researchers. Though targeted for these groups, these resources may also benefit multidisciplinary partners. New resources are continuously being added to the library.
Click here to access the Library of BCJI Resources.
This library/resource list is designed for reference purposes only. The IACP does not necessarily endorse, certify, recommend, or promote any particular resource within.
BCJI Sites
| FY2018 BCJI Sites | FY2019 BCJI Sites | FY2020 BCJI Sites | FY2021 BCJI Sites |
Little Rock, AR |
Contact
For more information, please email [email protected] or 800-843-4227 ext. 323.
Project Partners
Project Support
This project is supported by Cooperative Agreement No. 15BJA-23-GK-04297-JAGP awarded by the Bureau of Justice Assistance, Office of Justice Programs, U.S. Department of Justice. The opinions contained herein are those of the author(s) and do not necessarily represent the official position or policies of the U.S. Department of Justice. References to specific agencies, companies, products, or services should not be considered an endorsement by the author(s) or the U.S. Department of Justice. Rather, the references are illustrations to supplement discussion of the issues.
Chiefs Leadership Certificate Program (CLCP)
The CLCP is a self-paced online curriculum that equips current chiefs and aspiring police leaders to guide their agencies with confidence, clarity, and purpose. This program has been thoughtfully developed for the policing profession, considering the unique skills and abilities necessary for effectively leading an agency. Grounded in the insights of policing experts, the CLCP focuses on leadership within yourself, your agency, and your community with opportunities to engage with your peers on key discussion topics.
For more information, contact [email protected].
Module 1: Leadership Foundations
Available Now
This module focuses on personal leadership growth, ethical decision-making, and essential executive leadership competencies. Participants engage with fellow police leaders on key topics including:
- Leadership Style
- Integrity & Values
- Resilience & Stress Management
- Building Trust
- Organizational Culture & Change
- Strategic Planning
- Executive Decision-Making
- Conflict & Negotiation
- Communication & Public Speaking
- Emerging Issues
Module 2: Organizational Leadership
Launching in 2026
This module focuses on internal leadership roles—managing systems, shaping organizational culture, and ensuring agency-wide strategic and operational effectiveness. This section equips participants to lead with intention across the full scope of internal operations and departmental decision-making.
Topics include:
- Recruitment and Retention
- Staff Development, Mentorship, and Succession Planning
- Personnel Management and Workforce Culture
- Building Trust Within Your Agency
- Assuming Command: The First 90 Days
- Policy Development, Evidence-Based Policing, and Risk Management
- Technology, AI, and Innovation
- Understanding and Creating Budgets
- Critical Incident Management
- Ethics and Accountability
- Officer and Organizational Safety & Wellness
Module 3: Strategic Leadership & Public Trust
Launching 2026-2027
Extend your impact beyond the badge. Learn to build trust, influence policy, and lead public safety efforts through effective engagement with political leaders, media, and the community.
Topics include:
- Building Trust and Partnerships in Your Communities
- Media Relations
- Communication Skills
- Presenting a Budget and Negotiations
- Ethics for External Leadership
- Technology and AI
- Interagency Cooperative Agreements
Pricing
Member Pricing
$375 per module
$950 package for all 3 modules
Non-Member Pricing
$525 per module
$1,450 package for all 3 modules
*Join here to become an IACP member.
Child Sex Trafficking: Tools for Law Enforcement
Toolkit: Child Sex Trafficking: A Training Series for Frontline Officers
Combating Child Sex Trafficking: A Guide for Law Enforcement Leaders
This guide aims to assist law enforcement leaders in adopting effective multidisciplinary approaches to address child sex trafficking in their communities. This guide describes the following:
- The crime of child sex trafficking
- The challenges in combating child sex trafficking
- Essential steps for law enforcement leaders to take in their jurisdictions
- Partners who can help law enforcement
- Successful multidisciplinary practices in communities around the country.
To request hard copies of the guide, e-mail [email protected].
Tools for Law Enforcement
Online Training Course
The IACP has developed an online training course on how to recognize and respond to child sex trafficking in the field built on the videos from the toolkit Child Sex Trafficking: A Training Series for Frontline Officers. The online training course is targeted to law enforcement officers. To find out more information and to register, please click here.
Template Presentation on Child Sex Trafficking
The IACP has developed a template presentation on child sex trafficking for law enforcement to utilize in developing training that incorporates the toolkit and training video series. This presentation was created for law enforcement trainers to customize to the local jurisdiction. Download the PowerPoint presentation template here.
Trainings Events for Frontline Officers
The IACP has conducted a number of pilot training events with the training videos and toolkit in select jurisdictions including locally (suburban Maryland and rural Virginia) and outside of the Virginia and Maryland area with both immediate and longer term impact evaluations.
Commercial Sexual Exploitation of Children (CSEC) Advisory Working Group
The IACP convened a CSEC Advisory Working Group of police chiefs, national and international law enforcement representatives, prosecutors, training academy officials, subject matter experts in July 2013 in Washington, DC to:
- Examine the current state of law enforcement practices and policies on CSEC
- Assess the gaps/needs of the field
- Provide guidance on the development of tools and resources for the toolkit
Other Resources
Contact
For more information, please contact the human trafficking team at [email protected] or 800-843-4227 ext. 842.
This project is supported by Cooperative Agreement Number 2012-CK-WX-K033 awarded by the Office of Community Oriented Policing Services, U.S. Department of Justice. The opinions contained herein are those of the author(s) and do not necessarily represent the official position or policies of the U.S. Department of Justice. References to specific agencies, companies, products, or services should not be considered an endorsement by the author(s) or the U.S. Department of Justice. Rather, the references are illustrations to supplement discussion of the issues.
Citation In Lieu of Arrest
Citation in lieu of arrest is a widely used law enforcement tool, however, the practice has rarely been studied in depth to substantiate many of the perceived benefits and challenges citation creates. The IACP, with the support of the Laura and John Arnold Foundation, studied how police departments approach the use of citation in lieu of arrest, with a goal to provide the law enforcement community and other criminal justice stakeholders with a reference point for information about citation practices across the United States.
Scope of Project
Literature Review. The IACP undertook a comprehensive review of academic literature surrounding citation use dating back 40 years. This literature review provided the IACP with information about the historical use of and legal authority for issuing citations, as well as some jurisdiction-specific data about its impact on the criminal justice system. The literature review also identified gaps in the research on how the use of citation, when compared to arrest, affects law enforcement efficiency and effectiveness, criminal justice system costs, individual case outcomes, and public safety.
Nationwide Survey. The IACP worked with an independent research organization to conduct a national survey of law enforcement agencies in order to determine their level of citation use, assess their perspectives on the practice, and identify data sets for further research in the area.
Focus Group Discussions. In order to assess current law enforcement attitudes about the use of citation, the IACP held a series of focus groups with a diverse cross-section of agencies and officer ranks. The focus groups considered how departments view the link between citation and pretrial release policies and practices, how they use data to make citation decisions and evaluate citation use outcomes, and how they leverage existing diversion programs to provide support to those cited.
Key Findings
Citation in Lieu of Arrest Has Been Widely Embraced as a Law Enforcement Tool. The use of citation in lieu of arrest is a widespread and long¬standing tool in American law enforcement, with nearly 87% of agencies engaged in the practice; over 80% of those for ten years or more. Law enforcement agencies are using citation for nearly a third of all incidents, most often for disorderly con¬duct, theft, trespassing, driving under suspension, and possession of marijuana. Nearly two-thirds of law enforcement officials have a positive view of citation. Very few respondents (fewer than 2%) indicated a negative view of the practice.
Citation Offers Potential Time Savings and Increased Law Enforcement Efficiency. Citations take significantly less time to process than do arrests (85.8 minutes vs. 24.2 minutes), saving just over an hour per incident.
Officers Are Given Broad Discretion to Determine Whether to Cite or Arrest in Individual Cases. The legal authority to cite for a particular offense comes from a variety of sources, including state statutes, local ordinances and regulations, and departmental policy. While certain offenses may be eligible for citation, nearly 81% of agencies give officers final discretion to determine whether an individual involved in a particular incident is suitable for citation vs. arrest.
In Exercising Their Discretion, Officers Would Benefit from Comprehensive Data Availability in the Field. While the majority of officers reported having access to data on arrest, warrant, conviction, and failure to appear, there are still gaps in the information available to officers when deciding whether to cite or arrest. Law enforcement officers would benefit from more complete information across the board, including the ability to access fingerprint information and use risk assessment scores.
Although Many Benefits of Citation Have Been Posited, There is Little Existing Research to Evaluate Those Claims. Academics and policymakers have suggested many potential benefits for using citation in lieu of arrest in appropriate cases, including increased officer efficiency, enhanced community-police relations, increased officer and public safety, reduced criminal justice system costs, reductions in jail overcrowding, and diminished burdens on low-level offenders, who avoid arrest records and potential pretrial detention. More rigorous study is needed to establish how citation can be used to achieve these advantages, so that evidence-based practices can be standardized into model citation protocols.
Further Research is Needed to Assess the Validity of Concerns Surrounding the Increased Use of Citation and How Best to Alleviate Any Challenges. Academics and law enforcement professionals have raised concerns about the increased use of citation, and many unanswered questions remain about its impact on law enforcement efficiency, public safety, and individual case outcomes. Does citation in¬crease failure to appear rates and, if so, how can this be remedied? How can the potential for officer bias in making discretionary decisions about whether to cite or arrest be alleviated? What information do officers need in the field to best exercise their discretion? How can law enforcement best communicate its policies to a public that may consider citation to be too lenient of a response to crime? How does citation vs. arrest affect pretrial public safety? Additional research is needed to understand the true impact of citation policies in order to develop best practices that balance the interests of public safety, law enforcement, and those cited.
Although Most Agencies are Collecting Citation Data, Few are Tracking, Monitoring, or Analyzing this Information. Eighty-six percent of responding agencies maintain electronic information about citation issuance, and nearly 70% maintain paper records. Yet fewer than 20% of respondents monitor, track, study, or evaluate the use of citation in lieu of arrest. In order to determine the effectiveness and outcomes of citation use, agencies would benefit from more complete data collection and robust evaluation of that data. In addition, standardized procedures for citation data collection would support future research in the field, allowing researchers to compare and analyze information across jurisdictions and systems.
Conclusion
Citation in lieu of arrest potentially offers numerous benefits for law enforcement, the criminal justice system, and those cited. Yet the impact of the practice has not been significantly studied. The IACP’s three-pronged assessment of citation in lieu of arrest—has provided a baseline of information and generated numerous questions that provide a path forward for researchers, illuminating the need for more evidence gathering to support effective policies for the criminal justice system, officers, and citizens.
Resources
Citation in Lieu of Arrest Final Report
Citation in Lieu of Arrest Literature Review
To download this resource please click here.
Collaborative Reform Initiative Technical Assistance Center (CRI-TAC)
The Collaborative Reform Initiative Technical Assistance Center (CRI-TAC), in partnership with the Department of Justice’s Office of Community Oriented Policing Services (COPS) and nine other leading law enforcement agencies, provides customized training and technical assistance to state, local, tribal, territorial, and campus agencies throughout the United States. These services are delivered at no cost to your agency. Built to meet the needs of law enforcement agencies today, CRI-TAC works to develop solutions specifically tailored to your agency, allowing you to play an active role in the problem-solving process. CRI-TAC provides a collaborative and comprehensive process in which subject matter experts from the field help your agency reach the forefront of cutting-edge innovation and evidence-based practices.
Request Technical Assistance
To help us best serve you, please include the following information: 1) Name of your agency 2) Number of sworn officers 3) Size of population served 4) Topic and service requested 5) Contact information
Services
CRI-TAC staff will work with you to provide a customized solution. Types of services CRI-TAC can provide include:
Conference Support
Participation in training conferences and other educational meetings.
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 Consulting
Subject matter experts visit the requesting agency to collaborate with agency leaders and provide guidance on best practices and tailored solutions.
Topics
Active Threat Response | Leadership |
Addressing Elder Abuse | Management and Supervision |
Addressing Gangs | Mass Demonstration Response |
Addressing Human Trafficking | Mass Violence Response |
Addressing Interpersonal Violence | Mentoring |
Agency and Officer Safety and Wellness | Procedural Justice |
Border Security | Recruitment, Hiring, and Retention |
Community Engagement | Report Writing |
Crime Analysis | School Safety |
Crisis Intervention | Shared Service Models |
Cross Jurisdictional Partnerships and Task Forces | Strategic Partnerships |
De-escalation | Strategic Planning |
Drug-Related Crime | Technology |
Duty to Intervene/Peer Intervention | Traffic Safety |
Evidence-Based Policing | Tribal Law Enforcement |
Focused Deterrence | Unhoused Populations and Squatting |
Gun Violence Reduction and Prevention | Unmanned Aerial Systems |
Intelligence and Information Sharing | Violent Crime Reduction and Prevention |
Interview and Interrogation | Youth Engagement |
FAQ
Q. Who can request assistance?
A. All requests must be received from the chief executive of a law enforcement agency or with expressed authorization from the chief executive of the law enforcement agency. Requesting agencies do not need to be a member of the IACP or any partnering organization to be considered for technical assistance services.
Q. Are other services provided other than those already described?
A. CRI-TAC understands that each technical assistance request is unique and is open to exploring other services should specific needs arise. With that said, certain costs cannot be offered through CRI-TAC, such as personnel and equipment needs.
Q. Does CRI-TAC provide after-action or critical incident reviews?
A. As a matter of standard practice, technical assistance requests involving matters where there are active state, local, or federal investigations pending, or that are the subject or potential subject of litigation, are unlikely to be approved. These may include but are not limited to requests for after-action assessments or critical incident reviews.
Partnering Organizations
This project was supported, in whole or in part, by cooperative agreement number 15JCOPS-24-GK-00122-CRIT 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 U.S. Department of Justice. Rather, the references are illustrations to supplement discussion of the issues.
