**U.S. Department of Justice**

**FISCAL YEAR 2009 PERFORMANCE BUDGET**

**[Congressional Submission]{.underline}**

**COMMUNITY RELATIONS SERVICE**

# 

# Table of Contents

**I. Overview**

II\. Summary of Program Changes

III\. Appropriations Language and Analysis of Appropriations
Language......

IV\. Decision Unit Justification

A. Community Relations Service

1\. Program Description

2\. Performance Tables

3\. Performance, Resources, and Strategies

V. E-Gov Initiatives

VI\. Exhibits

A.  Organizational Chart

> B. Summary of Requirements
>
> C. Program Increases by Decision Unit (N/A)

D.  Resources by DOJ Strategic Goal/Objective

E.  Justification for Base Adjustments

F.  Crosswalk of 2007 Availability

G.  Crosswalk of 2008 Availability

H.  Summary of Reimbursable Resources (N/A)

I.  Detail of Permanent Positions by Category

J.  Financial Analysis of Program Increases/Offsets (N/A)

K.  Summary of Requirements by Grade

L.  Summary of Requirements by Object Class

**I. Overview of Community Relations Service**

In Fiscal Year 2009, the Community Relations Service (CRS) requests 56
Full Time Equivalent (FTE) permanent positions, (including one (1) legal
counsel/attorney), and \$9,873,000. No additional programs or
enhancements are requested for FY 2009. CRS' information technology (IT)
program is allotted one (1) FTE position and two current contract
employees, with no anticipated IT enhancements in FY 2009.

CRS was created under Title X of the historic Civil Rights Act of 1964
(42 U.S.C. §2000g et seq.) signed into law by President Lyndon B.
Johnson on July 2, 1964. Title X of the 1964 law mandated CRS' creation
and its duties and responsibilities.

CRS, an agency within the U.S. Department of Justice, is headquartered
in Washington, D.C., and is a single decision unit that plays a
significant role in accomplishing **DOJ's Strategic Goal #2 - Prevent
Crime, Enforce Federal Laws, and Represent the Rights and Interests of
the American People.** CRS serves as the Department's "peacemaker" for
community conflicts and tensions arising from real or perceived
discriminatory practices based on race, color, or national origin. CRS
provides specialized mediation and conciliation services to state, local
and federal officials and communities throughout the United States. The
Agency's goal is to assist in resolving and preventing racial, ethnic
and national origin community conflicts, violence, and civil disorder.
CRS has 10 Regional offices and 4 field offices at the following
locations: Boston; New York; Philadelphia; Chicago (field office in
Detroit); Kansas City; Denver; Los Angeles (field office in San
Francisco); Dallas (field office in Houston); Atlanta (field office in
Miami); and, Seattle.

CRS possesses a remarkably unique attribute in being the only federal
component dedicated to assisting state and local units of government,
private and public organizations, and community groups with preventing
and resolving racial and ethnic tensions. CRS' conciliators can assist
in restoring racial stability and accord to communities following civil
disorders, or in initiating rumor control to prevent misinformation from
spreading throughout a community. CRS is able to address the perception
of racism that can be as disruptive to community stability as actual
discrimination. CRS does not have law enforcement authority, nor does it
investigate or prosecute cases. As an impartial Agency, CRS does not
look to assign blame or fault to any individual or group. In contrast,
CRS enables communities to develop and implement their own solutions to
reducing racial/ethnic tensions as a neutral conciliator. Furthermore,
as alternatives to coercion or litigation, CRS facilitates the
development of viable and voluntary solutions for resolution of
community tension.

The CRS budget consists of operating expenses which includes, but is not
limited to, payroll for its 56 permanent positions; travel expenses to
enable CRS' conciliation professionals to respond in person to requests
for assistance from state and local units of government, private and
public organizations, and community groups; and funding for normal
operations, i.e., information technology, communications, equipment,
supplies, etc. By applying common inflation rate methodologies, and the
evaluation of historical trends, the FY 09 budget cost of \$9,873,000 is
required for CRS to support the Department in maintaining conflict
resolution and violence prevention activities. Under recent budget
constraints, CRS has not requested any increase in FTE or program
enhancements.

No programs within CRS have been subject to the Program Assessment
Rating Tool (PART) review.

**Performance Challenges**

CRS' mission and strategic objectives will not change drastically in FY
09, but complex internal and external challenges still remain. CRS must
continue to assess its daily operations based on Departmental needs,
technological developments, national security, and budget constraints.
These internal factors pose challenges that affect the success of CRS'
external conciliation and mediation services.

1\) Internal Challenges

CRS continues to face internal challenges as it must monitor the country
for jurisdictional conflicts, and attempt to respond to each case with
limited resources. In FY 2007, CRS responded to nearly 900 community
incidents and conflicts arising from issues of race, color or national
origin. CRS currently operates with a field staff of 35 FTE employees
(10 Regional Directors and 25 Conciliation Specialists) to address
conflicts throughout the United States and six territories. Regional
conciliators attempt to assess every jurisdictional case which has come
to their attention, but temporal, budgetary, and geographical
limitations affect deployment decisions. CRS will continue to focus its
internal efforts on building new staff capacities through succession
planning, mentoring, and sustained, high-quality training. This includes
a focus on improving mediation and management skills for new hires. The
majority of current vacancies are funded at the GS-11 level, which will
inherently present an expected learning curve. With nearly forty percent
of the Agency retirement eligible, funds may be able to shift from
higher paying positions held by senior staff to lower paying, mid-level
positions and will allow CRS to reach a 56 person team and stay within
its budgeted FTE. High quality standards for leadership, in-service
training, state mediation certification, standardized measurable work
plans, and improved tracking systems on service delivery and case
reporting will remain crucial aspects of the CRS work ethic.

2\) External Challenges

Notwithstanding CRS' daily operational challenges, CRS will continue to
respond to issues that garner national attention, such as increased
reports of noose-related incidents following events in Jena, Louisiana,
racial tension in the aftermath of Hurricane Katrina, and community
tensions that stem from demographic shifts and new immigration. In
addition, CRS will continue to respond to racial tensions involving
ethnic communities who have alleged or experienced discriminatory
treatment following September 11, 2001, particularly Arab American,
Muslim, and Sikh individuals. CRS' technical assistance, including
educational videos, and training programs, are just some of the ways
that the Agency can help to promote tolerance, respect, and peaceful
interaction between members of various communities.

CRS will continue to help resolve race-related community conflicts in
areas such as housing, education, and the administration of justice.
Police-community relations surrounding excessive use of force, and the
possibility of racial violence resulting from these incidents,
particularly in minority communities, consumes more than half of CRS'
work. Additionally, CRS continues to address school conflicts based on
race, color, and national origin. CRS is increasingly called upon to
address racial harassment and violence in elementary and secondary
schools, and on college and university campuses. CRS has responded to
school brawls, riots, and racial gang violence, working to restore
stability in schools through various conflict resolution initiatives.
The Agency is prepared, as well, to respond to hate-related incidents
involving desecration of houses of worship.

CRS must constantly reintroduce its services to community and local
government leaders due to political turnover, term-limited positions,
and a statutory mandate that prevents the Agency from publicizing much
of its work. Evolving community "flash points" increase the need to be
knowledgeable and aware of the host of vulnerabilities that communities
face. In sum, though, obstacles to entry and the fluctuating nature of
jurisdictional conflicts do not deter CRS from offering its services to
communities in need. Through skillful conciliation and mediation, CRS'
services can limit disruptions to community peace and stability. For any
jurisdictional conflict, CRS stands ready to offers its conflict
resolution services to communities across the United States.

**II. Summary of Program Changes**

The Fiscal 2009 CRS budget request does not consist of any
increases/offsets to its program. This section is not applicable to CRS.

**III. Appropriations Language and Analysis of Appropriations Language**

**Appropriations Language**

*[For necessary expenses of the COMMUNITY RELATIONS SERVICE
\[\$9,873,000\]: Provided, that notwithstanding any other provision of
law, upon a determination by the Attorney General that emergent
circumstances require additional funding for conflict resolution and
violence prevention activities of the Community Relations Service, the
Attorney General may transfer such amounts to the Community Relations
Service, from available appropriations for the current fiscal year for
the Department of Justice, as may be necessary to respond to such
circumstances: Provided further, that any transfer pursuant to the
previous proviso shall be treated as a reprogramming under section 605
of this Act and shall not be available for obligation or expenditure
except in compliance with the procedures set forth in that section.
(Department of Justice Appropriations Act)]{.underline}*

**Analysis of Appropriations Language**

The FY 2009 President's Budget Uses the FY 2008 President's Budget
language as a base so all language is presented as new.

**IV. Decision Unit Justification**

**A. *Community Relations Service***

  --------------------------------------- ------- ------- ---------------
  Community Relations Service - TOTAL     Perm.   FTE     Amount
                                          Pos.            

  2007 Enacted with Rescissions           56      48      \$10,221,000

  2007 Supplementals                      0       0       \$0

  2007 Enacted w/ Rescissions and         0       0       \$10,221,000
  Supplements                                             

  2008 President's Budget                 56      56      \$9,794,000

  Adjustments to Base and Technical       0       0       \$39,000
  Adjustments                                             

  2009 Current Services                   56      56      \$9,873,000

  2009 Program Increases                  0       0       \$0

  2009 Request                            56      56      \$9,873,000

  Total Change 2008-2009                  0       0       \$79,000
  --------------------------------------- ------- ------- ---------------

+---------------------------------------+------+-------+--------------+
| Community Relations Service           | P    | FTE   | Amount       |
|                                       | erm. |       |              |
| Information Technology Breakout (of   | Pos. |       |              |
| Decision Unit Total)                  |      |       |              |
+---------------------------------------+------+-------+--------------+
| 2007 Enacted with Rescissions         | 1    | 1     | \$821,000    |
+---------------------------------------+------+-------+--------------+
| 2007 Supplementals                    | 1    | 1     | 0            |
+---------------------------------------+------+-------+--------------+
| 2007 Enacted w/ Rescissions and       | 0    | 0     | \$821,000    |
| Supplements                           |      |       |              |
+---------------------------------------+------+-------+--------------+
| 2008 President's Budget               | 1    | 1     | \$847,000    |
+---------------------------------------+------+-------+--------------+
| Adjustments to Base and Technical     | 0    | 0     | \$0          |
| Adjustments                           |      |       |              |
+---------------------------------------+------+-------+--------------+
| 2009 Current Services                 | 1    | 1     | \$872,660    |
+---------------------------------------+------+-------+--------------+
| 2009 Program Increases                | 0    | 0     | \$0          |
+---------------------------------------+------+-------+--------------+
| 2009 Request                          | 1    | 1     | \$872,660    |
+---------------------------------------+------+-------+--------------+
| Total Change 2008-2009                | 0    | 0     | \$0          |
+---------------------------------------+------+-------+--------------+

1\. Program Description

CRS' programs contribute to the Department's **Strategic Goal 2: Prevent
Crime, Enforce Federal Laws, and Represent the Rights and Interests of
the American People.** Within this Goal, CRS specifically addresses the
Department's Strategic Objective 3.2 -- Uphold the rights of and improve
services to America\'s crime victims, and promote resolution of racial
tension.

CRS has implemented several strategies, which are intended to
effectively address the issues of discriminatory practices based on
race, color, or national origin, which impair the rights of people.
Examples of various CRS strategies and programs are:

-   **[Law Enforcement Mediation Skills (LEMS) Program]{.underline}** is
    a two day (16 hour) program designed to equip the attending officers
    with basic knowledge of mediation and conflict resolution skills as
    they apply directly to law enforcement. Our program focuses on the
    officer\'s need to respond to any given conflict or dispute (in
    particular, race and ethnic based issues) efficiently and
    effectively. Traditional methods of policing in response to
    disturbance calls have resulted in callbacks to the same
    disturbance. The CRS LEMS program offers a mediation and conflict
    resolution approach that hopefully leads to fewer callbacks, and
    more lasting solutions based on the disputants' involvement in
    resolving their own issues. The process involves empowering law
    enforcement officials to resolve disputes through the use of
    conflict resolution, rather than arrest. It also instills skills and
    knowledge with citizens to resolve disputes without the necessity of
    a police presence. The course focuses on police-community relations
    in minority communities.

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-   **[Anti-Racial Profiling Program]{.underline}** is a program that
    reviews the history and concept of profiling by police in addressing
    criminal activity. The program focuses on the complexities of using
    race as a factor in police investigations. Through a series of
    videotape and role playing exercises, law enforcement and community
    members view the effects of racial profiling on communities, as well
    as ways to defuse racial profiling allegations whenever they arise.

-   **[Arab-Muslim, Sikh (AMS) Cultural Awareness Program]{.underline}**
    is a program that utilizes community-based, free trainers capable of
    delivering law enforcement training to heighten awareness, increase
    knowledge and develop skills to effectively communicate with Arab,
    Muslim, and Sikh communities. The program educates law enforcement
    officials on different cultural practices in order to reduce the
    possibility of tensions from developing due to misinformation or
    lack of understanding. Trainers work side-by-side with CRS staff and
    follow a standardized and approved CRS curriculum.

-   [City - Problem Identification and Resolution of Issues Together
    (City-SPIRIT) Program]{.underline} is a recently developed program
    that resolves race related conflicts within cities and communities
    in a collaborative effort. Following years of field testing, CRS
    assists city and other local forms of government with existing
    racial conflicts in a community-wide problem solving process to
    better understand and to address racial tensions and conflicts that
    may exist in the schools, work places, businesses and neighborhoods.
    Examples of this work are evident in Pittsburg, Kansas, and Monroe,
    Louisiana.

CRS introduced and updated several management systems to more
effectively address racial tension and violence in major cities. CRS
intensified its emphasis on staff development and training of staff on
the fundamental skills of conflict resolution. CRS holds national staff
training sessions to enhance and refresh contemporary conflict
resolution strategies and mediation skills. CRS instituted an internal
skills certification process for fundamental tools that are used in
conflict resolution cases. The Agency continues to strengthen its
emphasis on local capacity building by having conciliators focus on the
implementation of collaborative partnerships and other mechanisms for
strategically empowering and sustaining peaceful communities.

The services of CRS are tracked by a case management database. Quality
assurance is measured by a weekly headquarters review of every new case
in the CRS system. Headquarters then provides operational feedback to
all 10 Regional Directors on a weekly basis, and holds managers
accountable for ensuring strict compliance with our jurisdictional
mandate. Regions are directed to hold bi-monthly staff meetings to
review casework feedback. Conciliators have made significant qualitative
and technical progress on casework.

**2. Performance Tables**

The chart on the following page depicts CRS' performance and workload.
These case numbers show marked changes in activities as a result of a
policy change, which occurred at the beginning of Fiscal Year 2005. The
policy change required CRS to focus more heavily on crisis resolution
and mediation versus outreach, and has affected each area of CRS case
activity.

CRS collects and maintains data in a case management system, CRSIS,
which establishes standard criteria for recording and classifying
casework. CRS Regional Directors review and approve all case information
entered into CRSIS by conciliators; the data are reviewed and verified
by analysts and managers at CRS Headquarters. CRSIS is web-based and
allows for easier access to data. CRS continues to update the system to
better manage data requirements and improve the accuracy of the data
collection process. Data in CRSIS is reflected in the case numbers on
the following chart.

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  --------------- ------------------- ------------ ------------ ------------ ------------ ------------ ------------ ------------ ------------ ------------
  **PERFORMANCE                                                                                                                                
  MEASURE TABLE**                                                                                                                             

  **Decision                                                                                                                                  ** **
  Unit: Conflict                                                                                                                              
  Resolution and                                                                                                                              
  Violence                                                                                                                                    
  Prevention -                                                                                                                                
  Program                                                                                                                                     
  Operations**                                                                                                                                

  **Performance                       **FY 2001**  **FY 2002**  **FY 2003**  **FY 2004**  **FY 2005**  **FY 2006**  **FY 2007**  **FY 2008**  **FY 2009**
  Report and                                                                                                                                  
  Performance                                                                                                                                 
  Plan Targets**                                                                                                                              

                                      **Actual**   **Actual**   **Actual**   **Actual**   **Actual**   **Actual**   **Target**   **Target**   **Target**

  **Performance   Cases where CRS     N/A          N/A          705          494          520          584          760          659          684
  Measure**       services will help                                                                                                          
                  resolve community                                                                                                           
                  racial violence or                                                                                                          
                  conflict                                                                                                                    

  **Performance   Cases where CRS     N/A          N/A          471          94           100          180          224          116          124
  Measure**       services will                                                                                                               
                  prevent potential                                                                                                           
                  community racial                                                                                                            
                  violence or                                                                                                                 
                  conflict                                                                                                                    

  **OUTCOME       Communities with    N/A          N/A          1176         588          620          764          984          786          823
  Measure**       Improved Conflict                                                                                                           
                  Resolution Capacity                                                                                                         

                                                                                                                                              

  **N/A = Data                                                                                                                                
  unavailable**                                                                                                                               

  **\* Denotes                                                                                                                                
  inclusion in                                                                                                                                
  the DOJ Annual                                                                                                                              
  Performance                                                                                                                                 
  Plan**                                                                                                                                      
  --------------- ------------------- ------------ ------------ ------------ ------------ ------------ ------------ ------------ ------------ ------------

**3. Performance, Resources, and Strategies**

a\. Performance Plan and Report for Outcomes

The Conflict Resolution and Violence Prevention Activities program
contributes to the [Department's Strategic Goal #2]{.underline},
**Prevent Crime, Enforce Federal Laws, and Represent the Rights and
Interests of the American People**. Within this Goal, the program
specifically addresses the [Department's Strategic Objective:
2.1]{.underline} -- Strengthen partnerships for safer communities and
enhance the Nation's capacity to prevent, solve, and control crime.

Each region, composed of 2-4 Conciliators and one Regional Director,
conducts appraisals of racial tension, in collaboration with state and
local officials, to determine projects that require immediate attention
and demonstrate the greatest need for inclusion in a work plan for
resolving racial conflict or violence. Annually, the work plan addresses
those communities within each region that require conflict resolution
services on an annual basis. Approximately 75% of the region's workload
is direct crisis response services, 5% administrative, and 20%
comprehensive projects that address the Annual Appraisal of Racial
Tension (AART). Most CRS Conciliators have a common set of programmatic
tools, such as mediation, conflict resolution, technical assistance, and
specific conflict-related training programs that respond to racial
tension and violence.

b\. Strategies to Accomplish Outcomes

CRS strategies include the Law Enforcement Mediation Skills (LEMS) and
Anti-Racial Profiling Programs; Arab, Muslim, and Sikh (AMS) Cultural
Awareness Program; and, the City Problem Identification and Resolution
of Issues Together (City SPIRIT) program. \[See Section IV for detailed
descriptions of CRS strategy programs.\] These strategies are
specifically designed to assist states, local communities, and tribal
governments in resolving racial violence and conflict. CRS has been
working collaboratively with four major customer groups: (1)
investigative and law enforcement agencies; (2) courts, state, local and
tribal governments, and federal agencies, including U.S. Attorneys, FBI,
various components of the Department of Justice, Department of Housing
and Urban Development, Department of the Interior, Department of
Transportation/Transportation Security Administration, Department of
Education, and domestic immigration officials; (3) schools, colleges,
and universities; and (4) community groups and other organizations to
assist and resolve racial violence and conflict. CRS develops strategies
that focus on bringing together the energy of community leaders,
organizations, and citizens to work towards crime-prevention and
providing safe neighborhoods and communities for all Americans through
cooperation and coordination with other Department of Justice
components. CRS provides comprehensive services that empower communities
to help themselves and maximize the federal investment at the local
level.

In order to fulfill the strategic goals of the Agency, the CRS
management team will continue to stress contemporary mediation skills
development, accountability, adherence to performance work plans, and
affirmation of a merit award system for outstanding work. CRS' success
can be evaluated on how well its services assist communities in need,
contributing to the Department's Conflict Resolution and Violence
Prevention Activities. In addition, CRS is gauged on its success in
keeping the peace in cities throughout the country when events occur
that have the potential to escalate into major riots or violence. CRS
continues to evaluate new methods for measuring the Agency's success,
always aiming to improve upon its service delivery to American
communities.

c\. Results of Program Assessment Rating Tool (PART) Reviews

No programs in the CRS budget account have been subject to an
independent PART Review.

**V. E-Gov Initiatives**

CRS' scale does not support or lend itself to increasing efficiencies
through E-Gov initiatives. CRS, however, continues to utilize its IT
infrastructure in improving the efficiency and user-friendliness of
Agency operations.