CRS Applauds New DOJ Guidance on Law Enforcement–Community Dialogues

The Community Relations Service (CRS) is happy to announce the release of Guidance for Federal, State, Tribal, Local, and Territorial Law Enforcement Agencies on Best Practices for Planning and Conducting Law Enforcement–Community Dialogues (Law Enforcement–Community Dialogues). Developed out of a partnership between CRS, the Community Oriented Policing Service (COPS) of the U.S. Department of Justice, and the Divided Community Project at The Ohio State University Moritz College of Law, the Law Enforcement–Community Dialogues guidance contains best practices for conducting dialogues aimed at strengthening relations and improving communication between law enforcement and communities. This guidance is intended for use by federal, state, local, and tribal law enforcement agencies.

As communities and law enforcement leaders have proven time and time again, enhanced trust in police requires sustained engagement through law enforcement-community conversations. The new Law Enforcement–Community Dialogues guidance includes concepts and actions police can take immediately following incidents such as police’s use of deadly force as well as best practices for sustained dialogue before and after a crisis situation.

The guidance is designed to further law enforcement capacity to engage in positive, candid, and honest conversations with members of communities that law enforcement agencies serve. Through case studies and application of the framework, the guidance provides law enforcement and communities options for designing, hosting, and sustaining intentional conversations with the communities law enforcement serves as part of an effort to increase trust and build safe and resilient communities.

The new Law Enforcement–Community Dialogues guidance is one of many ways CRS partners with Department of Justice components, state, tribal, local, and territorial law enforcement agencies, and community stakeholders across the country to improve partnerships and communication between law enforcement and diverse communities. Learn more about CRS’s work with law enforcement and community groups at https://www.justice.gov/crs/our-stakeholders/law-enforcement and https://www.justice.gov/crs/our-stakeholders/community-groups.