Today, the International Association of Chiefs of Police (IACP) received a $7 million award from the Office of Community Oriented Policing Services (COPS Office), U.S. Department of Justice’s Collaborative Reform Initiative for Technical Assistance. This monumental funding opportunity will enable the IACP and other prominent law enforcement associations to create the Collaborative Reform Initiative Technical Assistance Center (CRI-TAC).

The CRI-TAC will provide quality, customizable technical assistance for state, local, territorial, and tribal law enforcement agencies, enabling them to continue to enhance their organizational, public safety, crime reduction, and community policing effectiveness. The CRI-TAC will be built around the philosophy that local involvement and accountability are important for ensuring that agencies are able to meet the needs and expectations of their communities and are prepared for the diverse challenges facing law enforcement today. Recognizing that assistance cannot be prescriptive in nature, CRI-TAC technical assistance will be tailored to each agency, in order to provide effective solutions able to meet unique community needs. In addition, the CRI-TAC will develop a resource hub to support law enforcement agencies and the communities they serve.

While the award will go to the IACP, a powerful coalition will be formed to bring together public safety leaders and will touch nearly every sector of the law enforcement field. The law enforcement associations formally involved in the project, include:

• Fraternal Order of Police (FOP)
• Major Cities Chiefs Association (MCCA)
• National Association of Women Law Enforcement Executives (NAWLEE)
• International Association of Campus Law Enforcement Administrators (IACLEA)
• Federal Bureau of Investigations National Academy Associates (FBINAA)
• International Association of Directors of Law Enforcement Standards and Training (IADLEST)
• National Tactical Officers Association (NTOA)

The CRI-TAC subject matter coalition will provide subject matter expertise; share resources and training materials for use in technical assistance delivery; and contribute to outreach, marketing, and membership engagement.