U.S. Department of Justice
Office of Community Oriented Policing Services

DOJ Seal
COPS Logo
RCPI Logo

MAKING THE MATCH: 
Law Enforcement,
the Faith Communityand the Value-Based 
Initiative 

by Mary Beth Gordon 

www.cops.usdoj.gov


MAKING THE MATCH: 
Law Enforcement,
the Faith Communityand the Value-Based 
Initiative 

by Mary Beth Gordon 

Prepared by the Missouri Regional 
Community Policing Institute for 
the Office of Community Oriented 
Policing Services. 

This project was supported by cooperative 
agreement #2002HSWXK031 awarded by 
the Office of Community Oriented Policing 
Services, U.S. Department of Justice. Points 
of view or opinions contained within this 
document are those of the author and do not 
necessarily represent the official position or 
policies of the U.S. Department of Justice. 

December 2003


Table of Contents

Foreword............................................................................ii

Acknowledgements....................................................................iv

Introduction.........................................................................1

The Boston Story: The Power of Collaboration ........................................3

Bringing Faith-Based Organizations
into Community Policing .............................................................6 

COPS VBI Success Stories ...........................................................9 

Creating a Mechanism for Community 
Problem-Solving: A VBI Bonus .......................................................13

VBI Collaboration: A Win/Win Undertaking ...........................................14

Establishing a VBI: The Process ....................................................16

STEP I: Readiness Factors...........................................................16

STEP II: Planning and Implementation ...............................................22 

Troubleshooting: Solving Problems 
That Could Undermine a Collaboration 
Between Law Enforcement Officials and 
Faith-Based Organizations ..........................................................26 

Funding Resources ..................................................................30 

Bibliography .......................................................................35 

Appendices .........................................................................36 


Foreword

Since its founding in 1994, a central goal of the U.S. Department of 
Justice Office of Community Oriented Policing Services (COPS) has 
been to help law enforcement agencies implement and enhance community 
policing. Community policing has been defined as a policing philosophy 
that promotes and supports organizational strategies to address the causes 
and reduce the fear of crime and social disorder through collaborative 
problem-solving strategies and police/community partnerships. 

As COPS forged many innovative approaches to community policing and 
problem-solving over the years, we kept hearing the question: But where 
is the faith community? COPS recognized that the faith community has 
always been an important force in cities and towns across the country, 
bringing together area residents to address the hard issues facing their 
neighborhoods. Law enforcement professionals understood that many 
times when everyone else had walked away from a problem, the faith 
community was still there, serving its congregations and engaging in 
community outreach to improve the quality of life for residents in the 
area. Through the COPS Value-Based Initiative (VBI), the faith 
community is at the table as a full partner in community policing with 
local law enforcement. 

The Value-Based Initiative is a COPS-funded strategy that emphasizes 
training and technical assistance for problem-solving on a community 
level, through community-led initiatives that explore and promote what 
a community values most. The COPS Office has expanded the VBI 
program to encourage law enforcement agencies to create or strengthen 
local projects that build trust between the police and their faith-based 
communities. The initiative is designed to identify and meet the 
individual needs of residents, thereby promoting the overall health of a 
community. The VBI infrastructure builds upon past community-based 
initiatives by leveraging existing resources in the community and 
providing training and technical assistance to enhance a communitys 
capacity to address its own issues. 

VBI Program Goals:
 -Strengthen partnerships between law enforcement and community. 
 -Further the communitys role as a partner in crime reduction efforts. 
 -Identify and address social issues that diminish the quality of life 
in communities. 
 -Link those in need to services and resources that currently exist in 
the community. 


This guide highlights VBI sites which can serve as model programs that 
other communities can replicate to engage their own faith community. 
It showcases sites that received federal grant funding to strengthen 
relationships between law enforcement agencies and the communities 
they serve, with an emphasis on partnering with the faith community. 
Inherent in this strategy is that the projects operate as community-led 
efforts. This initiative allows the community to take a leadership role in 
developing strategies to identify and address its primary challenges in 
sustaining the quality of life its residents value. The community then 
works collaboratively with law enforcement to develop strategies to 
address those challenges. A very important part of the planning for a 
successful VBI program is designing it to establish local capacity to 
sustain the initiative beyond federal funding. This guide provides 
both examples and suggestions on how to do that. 

Acknowledgements

Special Thanks

We would like to extend a special Thank You to Katherine McQuay, a 
senior project manager with the Office of Community Oriented Policing 
Services. Katherine has been a major contributor to the development of 
this publication. She has been a constant guide, identifying key issues, 
providing incisive editing and crafting new text as needed. Her input 
has been invaluable from start to finish. 

Additional 
Acknowledgements 

We would like to thank the following for providing information 
used in this publication: 

Boston, Massachusetts 

Superintendent Paul Joyce 
Boston Police Department 
One Schroeder Plaza 
Boston, MA 02120 

Blake Norton 
Operations Director 
Public Affairs and Community Programs 
Boston Police Department 
One Schroeder Plaza 
Boston, MA 02120 

Hemali Gunaratne 
Policy Analyst 
Boston Police Department 
One Schroeder Plaza 
Boston, MA 02120 

Mary Ann Phillips 
Operation Homefront 
Special Operations 
Boston Police Department 
364 Warren Street 
Boston, MA 02119 

Neva Grice 
Operation Homefront 
Special Operations 
Boston Police Department 
364 Warren Street 
Boston, MA 02119 

True-See Allah 
BRI Mentor 
Nation of Islam 
10 Washington Street 
Dorchester, MA 02021 

Minister Don Mohamad 
Nation of Islam 
10 Washington Street 
Dorchester, MA 02021 

Wilbur Smart 
BRI Mentor 
Boston TenPoint Coalition 
215 Forest Hills Street 
Boston, MA 02130 

Reverend Eugene F. Rivers III 
National TenPoint Leadership 
Foundation 
360 Huntington Avenue 
Boston, MA 02115 

Reverend Ray Hammond 
Pastor 
Bethel AME Church 
215 Forest Hill Avenue 
Boston, MA 02130 



Fort Wayne, Indiana 

Chief Russell York 
Fort Wayne Police Department 
1320 East Creighton Avenue 
Fort Wayne, IN 46803 

Pastor Ternae Jordan 
Greater Progressive Baptist Church 
2215 John Street 
Fort Wayne, IN 46803 

Glynn Hines 
Executive Director 
Stop the Madness 
P.O. Box 12725 
Fort Wayne, IN 46865

Pastor Michael Latham 
Renaissance Missionary Baptist Church 
President: Allen County Chapter 
of the NAACP 
2307 McKinnie Avenue
Fort Wayne, IN 46806

Fort Worth, Texas

David Garrett
Planning Manager 
Fort Worth Police Department 
350 West Belknap 
Fort Worth, TX 76102

Reverend W. G. Daniels 
President 
Ministers Against Crime 
Pilgrim Valley Baptist Church 
4800 S. Riverside Drive
Fort Worth, TX 76119

Luther Perry 
Project Consultant 
Ministers Against Crime 
4800 S. Riverside Drive 
Fort Worth, TX 76119 

Cynthia Earle 
Administrative Assistant
Fort Worth VBI 
4800 S. Riverside Drive 
Fort Worth, TX 76119 

Sharron Neal 
Fort Worth Police Department 
350 Belknap 
Fort Worth, TX 76102 

Redlands, California 

Chief James R. Bueermann 
Redlands Police Department 
P.O. Box 1025 
Redlands, CA 92373 

Pastor Felix Roger Jones III 
First All People Unity Baptist 
Church 
P.O. Box 2250 
Redlands, CA 92373 
 
Maureen Hodge 
Executive Director 
Building a Generation 
16 East Olive 
Redlands, CA 92373 
 

Riverside, California 
 
Victoria Jackson 
VBI Administrator/Safe Havens 
20174 West Point Drive 
Riverside, CA 92507 

Lieutenant Mark Boyer 
Area Commander 
Riverside Police Department 
4102 Orange Street 
Riverside, CA 92501 
 
Officer Gunnar Toussaint 
Riverside Police Department 
4102 Orange Street 
Riverside, CA 92501 

Minister Ralph Rivers 
Mount Calvary Missionary 
Baptist Church 
5729 Lotus Street 
Riverside, CA 92509 


Additional 
Acknowledgements 

National Crime Prevention Council 

John A. Calhoun 
President, National Crime 
Prevention Council 
1000 Connecticut Avenue, NW 
13th Floor 
Washington, D.C. 20036 

Jim Kopple 
Vice President 
National Crime Prevention Council 
1000 Connecticut Avenue, NW 
13th Floor 
Washington, D.C. 20036 

Colleen Minson Kopple 
Senior Advisor to the President 
National Crime Prevention Council 
1000 Connecticut Avenue, NW 
13th Floor 
Washington, D.C. 20036 

Reverend Mark Scott 
Executive Director 
Faith and Service Technical 
Education Network (FASTEN) 
National Crime Prevention Council 
1000 Connecticut Avenue, NW 
13th Floor 
Washington, D.C. 20036 

Carley Thimmesch 
Program Assistant 
Center for Faith and Service 
National Crime Prevention Council 
1000 Connecticut Avenue, NW 
13th Floor 
Washington, D.C. 20036 

Other Sources 

David Kuo 
Deputy Director 
White House Office 
of Faith-Based 
and Community Initiatives 
708 Jackson Place 
Washington, D.C. 20502 

James A. Davids 
Deputy Director and Counsel 
Task Force for Faith-Based 
and Community Initiatives 
Department of Justice 
950 Pennsylvania Avenue 
Washington, D.C. 20530 

Amy Malick 
Communication Director 
Study Circles Resource Center 
P.O. Box 203 
Pomfret, CT 06258 

Tanyanic Brown 
Community Anti-Drug 
Coalitions of America 
901 North Pitt Street 
Suite 300 
Alexandria, VA 22314 


We would like to thank the following for their outstanding efforts 
in bringing this publication to fruition: 

Bryan Courtney 
Director 
Missouri Regional Community Policing Institute 
4525 Downs Drive LRC 101 
St. Joseph, MO 64507 

Joanne Katz, J.D. 
Project Consultant 
Associate Professor 
Missouri Western State College 
4525 Downs Drive PS 204 
St. Joseph, MO 64507 

Amber Barron 
Communications Coordinator 
Missouri Regional Community Policing Institute 
4525 Downs Drive LRC 101 
St. Joseph, MO 64507 

We would like to thank the following for their substantial 
assistance in editing this publication: 

Beverly Alford 
Assistant Director 
Training and Technical Assistance 
Office of Community Oriented Policing Services 
Department of Justice 
1100 Vermont Avenue, NW 
Washington, D.C. 20530 

Sandra Webb, Ph.D. 
Senior Policy Analyst 
Office of Community Oriented Policing Services 
Department of Justice 
1100 Vermont Avenue, NW 
Washington, D.C. 20530 

Pam Cammarata 
Acting Deputy Director for Support 
Office of Community Oriented Policing Services 
Department of Justice 
1100 Vermont Avenue, NW 
Washington, D.C. 20530 


Introduction

The purpose of this guide is to provide law enforcement agencies and  
community groups  especially faith-based organizations (FBOs)  
with the community policing tools they need to reduce crime and the fear 
of crime and improve the quality of life in their neighborhoods. This kind 
of significant transformation can be achieved through a mechanism known 
as the Value-Based Initiative (VBI), which has been used in cities and towns 
across the country to effect community change. 

The emphasis herein is on the role of faith-based organizations in VBI 
collaborations because they are too often the missing link in community 
policing partnerships. 

What Is a Value-Based 
Initiative (VBI) 

A VBI is an innovative program that enhances collaboration by 
engaging early on all members of a community policing partnership in 
the collaborative problem-solving process. It does this by focusing on 
something that everyone can agree on: basic community values. The 
first step for police and their collaboration partners is to identify and 
mobilize around a specific community value, such as safe neighborhoods 
or drug-free schools. Once this is accomplished, VBI partners can begin 
to clarify the factors that threaten a priority community value and 
devise realistic intervention strategies. 

Value-Based Initiative 
(VBI): Another Tool in 
Community Policing 

Community policing is a proactive approach to law enforcement that goes 
beyond the traditional policing model of reacting to crime by arresting and 
incarcerating criminals. It recognizes that crime does not occur in a 
vacuum and that the best way to control crime is to address the continuum 
of human and community issues that lie at the root of most criminal 
activity. This requires the police and other law enforcement agencies to join 
forces with the community, forming problem-solving partnerships to 
develop viable strategies for dealing with the constellation of factors 
associated with crime and disorder. 


In recent years, the Office of Community Oriented Policing Services 
(COPS), which created the Value-Based Initiative as an effective 
community policing strategy, has encouraged law enforcement agencies to 
partner with faith-based organizations through this initiative. The Value-
Based Initiative gives faith-based organizations a place at the collaboration 
table, allowing them to share their unique insights about crime and other 
social problems that plague their communities. The VBI collaborative 
process also gives FBOs a say in how law enforcement and other 
community resources can be used to fight crime as well as address the 
underlying social ills that foster crime. 

About the 
COPS Office 
Over the past eight years, the Office of Community Oriented Policing Services 
(COPS) has helped law enforcement agencies all over the country make 
Americas streets safer through a variety of community policing initiatives. 
Since 1995, the COPS Office has invested $10.6 billion to advance community 
policing, including grants awarded to more than 13,000 state and local law 
enforcement agencies to hire more than 118,000 officers. In addition, the 
COPS Office supports innovative community policing initiatives, funds the 
purchase of crime fighting technology and provides training and technical 
assistance resources. 

COPS Logo



Boston: A Model 
Partnership 

Although the VBI examples presented throughout this document are 
impressive, they reflect only the early stages of successful police/FBO 
collaborations. Thats because the COPS-sponsored VBIs were started 
in 2000. 

The Boston police, however, have been building VBI-like relationships with 
faith-based organizations for more than a decade. As a result, the Boston 
Story is a good example of the long-term potential of a VBI partnership. 
It demonstrates the tangible impact  in terms of substantially reduced 
crime and improved quality of life  of a 10-plus-year collaboration 
between police, FBOs and other community partners. The Boston Story is 
the essence of what a VBI can be. 

The Boston Story: 

The Power of
Collaboration

Fifteen years ago, Boston was festering with gang violence. An influx of
crack cocaine had spawned numerous youth street gangs eager to fight 
for a bigger share of the lucrative crack market. In the disadvantaged 
neighborhoods where gang violence proliferated  and where exploding 
gang-to-gang gun warfare was the norm  few residents felt safe. 

For a while, there was a lot of finger pointing. Clergy and other 
community leaders were angry that, despite concerted efforts on the part 
of the police, the violence and illegal drug trafficking seemed to be 
accelerating. Police, on the other hand, were frustrated that Boston 
spiritual leaders werent doing more to address the social problems that 
often influenced troubled young people to join gangs. 

Then a series of riveting incidents  including an assault by gang members 
on mourners attending a memorial service for a rival gang member at a 
Boston church  galvanized the community. Everyone agreed it was time 
to work together to stop the violence. 

After much public discussion, it was decided that no single institution, not 
even the police, could control crime alone. To change the status quo would 
require the commitment and resources of the entire community. What 
evolved over the next few years was an unprecedented level of cooperation 
between the police, the clergy and the greater community that would 


permanently change how Boston responded to crime. As a result, Boston 
experienced a dramatic decrease in gang activity. Youth homicides, for 
example, dropped by more than 77 percent, from 62 in 1990 to 14 in 1999. 

Everybody began to focus on 
preventing the next bad thing 
from happening. We charted it 
out and we looked at the 
problem. We developed a 
thoughtful plan and then we went 
at it. The idea was that we would 
talk to kids and to their parents. 
We would give them a clear 
warning: the offending stops or 
the consequences will be swift. 
By far the most important factor in 
the change to a new style of 
business was the people who 
were involved. Their 
commitment was key: how they 
began to compare notes and see 
the problem in more dimensions 
and how they worked with others. 
Traditionally, the multi-agency 
approach didnt work that well, 
because there were always turf 
issues. But in this case, we were 
able to get people who were 
really on the same page from the 
start. I cannot emphasize enough 
that it worked because of the 
people who were involved  the 
best group of people that Ive ever 
been associated with. And there 
werent that many of us. There 
were probably about 15. You do 
not need an army. You need 
commitment to a common cause. 

Paul Joyce, Superintendent of the 
Boston Police Department, who served 
as commander of the Youth Violence 
Strike Force during the 1990s. 

Picture of Paul Joyce

Below are two examples of police/FBO collaborations that contributed to 
the transformation of Boston: 

Operation Cease Fire 
The goal of Operation Cease Fire, implemented in the mid-1990s, was 
to get guns off the streets of Boston and out of the hands of gang 
members. While police stepped up law enforcement efforts, scores of 
community groups participated in a variety of ways, from implementing 
anti-violence campaigns to offering programs that would deter youth 
from crime. FBOs expanded their street ministries. They established a 
bond of trust with many gang members and informed them that 
violence in their neighborhoods would no longer be tolerated. In many 
cases, they persuaded gang members to surrender their weapons and got 
them involved in programs that would teach them how to turn around 
their lives. (For more information, see Appendix A: The Boston 
Strategy to Prevent Youth Violence.) 

Operation Homefront 
In areas where juvenile delinquency prevails, the appearance of a police 
officer at the front door of a home is usually perceived by parents as a 
sign of bad news. But a visit from a respected member of the clergy is 
practically always welcome. 

Thats the concept behind Operation Homefront, a successful 
prevention program created in the 1990s and operated by the Boston 
Police Department (BPD) in conjunction with area clergy. The purpose 
of Operation Homefront is to offer early intervention services to 
families with children who seem to be headed for delinquency. Under 
the program, teachers and other school and community officials notify 
the Operation Homefront office of youth 8-17 who are engaging in 
risky or potentially risky behavior, such as frequent truancy, violent 
outbursts or involvement with known gang members. 

An Operation Homefront team, consisting of a police officer and a 
representative from the clergy, visit the home of each errant youngster. 
The clergy representative takes the lead by explaining that the visit is 
intended to alert the family that a child may be headed for serious trouble. 


Boston today is a totally 
different place than it was a 
decade ago, primarily 
because the Boston Police 
Department developed 
strategic partnerships with 
faith-based organizations and 
other community-based 
agencies. The police 
recognized they couldnt do 
the work alone. Crime and 
violence are down 
significantly, and people now 
feel safe in their homes. 
Police and clergy are talking 
all the time. In fact, we meet 
every Wednesday to discuss 
problems in our inner-city 
neighborhoods. 

Reverend Eugene F. Rivers III, 
co-founder of the National TenPoint 
Leadership Foundation and an early 
leader in working with Boston police to 
address gang violence. 

Picture of Reverend Eugene F. Rivers III

Parents usually are more than willing to open their doors and hearts to 
the clergyman or woman visiting their home. They frequently express 
frustration at their inability to control their childs inappropriate 
behavior and welcome referrals to services, such as after-school 
programs and parenting classes, that could turn things around. They 
begin to see the police as good guys, who sincerely want to help 
change the course of a childs life. 

Today, Operation Homefront police/clergy teams visit more than 600 
families a year. Both parents and police say the program would never 
work without the cooperation of the clergy, who are considered by many 
to be the moral core of the communities they serve. 

Operation Homefront has recently added an evaluation component to 
document its effectiveness in deterring juvenile delinquency. Although 
long-term data is not yet available, program officials have no doubt that 
the program works. We started out with two police officers and two 
members of the clergy, explains Neva Grice, a BPD officer who 
coordinates Operation Homefront. Today we have about 50 police 
officers and 50 members of the clergy. People want to participate 
because they see that the program really makes a difference in the lives 
of children and families. School officials make more referrals every year 
because they tell us they are seeing a big reduction in gang activity 
among students served by Operation Homefront. We empower parents 
to intervene with their kids, and we set youngsters straight about 
behavior that could lead to violence or incarceration. I remember one 
young girl who viewed gang life as exciting. I sat down and explained 
exactly what happens to girls in gangs. Her attitude changed. Now she 
wont have anything to do with gang members. 


Bringing Faith-Based Organizations 
into Community Policing 

A Winning
Collaboration

Complementary Attributes, 
Skills and Resources of 
Police and Faith-Based 
Organizations 

When law enforcement agencies and FBOs combine their considerable skills 
and resources, they have the potential to transform their communities in 
ways that neither could do alone. 

What Law Enforcement Agencies Bring to the Collaboration Table 

 Power and influence. 

Law enforcement agencies are among the most important institutions in 
the community because police and sheriffs help maintain social order by 
controlling crime and protecting the public from harm. High-ranking 
law enforcement officials often sit on the boards of major community 
organizations, which allows them to influence public policy, especially as 
it relates to law enforcement and crime prevention. 

 Skills and tools to control crime. 

Law enforcement agencies have the tools and skills to identify, track and 
apprehend criminals without exposing the public to undue risk. Because 
they understand how criminals operate, police and sheriffs can advise 
citizens about the best ways to protect themselves, their families and 
their communities from criminal activity. 

 Reliable crime data. 

Law enforcement agencies have the most accurate information about 
crime in the community. For example, one invaluable crime-tracking 
tool used by some police and sheriffs departments is Geographic 
Information Systems (GIS), a computerized crime tracking and analysis 
system. With GIS, police and sheriffs can map crime on a community-
wide basis as well as by neighborhood or even by block. They can tell 
FBOs and other community groups exactly where, for instance, juvenile 
crime is occurring, the nature of the juvenile offenses, and the times 
during an average week when most juvenile crime is committed. With 
this level of precise information, faith-based organizations, working in 
conjunction with law enforcement agencies, can develop on-target 
strategies for curbing juvenile crime. 


 A growing capacity for collaboration. 

In the past, police and sheriffs departments had sometimes been 
autocratic in their approach to law enforcement. Today, however, most 
law enforcement agencies have embraced the principles of community 
policing and collaborative problem-solving, and many have been trained 
through COPS Regional Community Policing Institute programs or 
other training initiatives. As a result, law enforcement agencies are now 
experienced in, or at least open to, working with FBOs and other groups 
to jointly address crime prevention and related issues. 

What Faith-Based Organizations Bring to the Collaboration Table 

 Dominant community force. 

In many troubled urban communities, faith-based organizations 
function as the anchoring force. Churches, synagogues, mosques and 
other spiritual centers remain  and frequently become even more 
important in the lives of people  long after major businesses, service 
organizations and residents have fled. FBOs are frequently a focal point 
of activity, providing a range of spiritual, social and support services to 
residents. Similarly, in small communities outside of urban areas, the 
spiritual centers and places of worship also tend to play a significant 
role in the lives of people. 

 Extensive understanding of social issues that underlie crime. 

Clergy and other FBO leaders are trained to deal with the special needs 
of disadvantaged populations. They often lend a level of compassion 
and understanding that traditional social service agencies do not. 
Thats why members of FBOs from disadvantaged communities may 
find it easier to share their struggles and concerns with their spiritual 
leader or counselor. 

 Established infrastructure for addressing human needs. 

Most FBOs in rural and urban areas have already established an 
infrastructure for addressing some of the special needs of their 
congregations as well as those of residents living in the neighborhoods 
they serve. 

Examples include the operation of food pantries and soup kitchens for 
families; child care and after-school programs as well as tutoring and 
mentoring services for youth; and GED and employment training 
programs for unemployed or underemployed adults. 

 Voice of moral and secular authority. 

In many troubled communities, the clergy is often viewed as the leader 
and voice of moral and secular authority. (Residents of disadvantaged 
neighborhoods are often poorly represented in city councils and other 
policy-making bodies.) Just as Martin Luther King, Jr. and other clergy 
were the driving forces behind the civil rights movement of previous 
decades, so too clergy today can rally their congregations to work 
toward lasting solutions to problems related to crime and violence. 


Clergy and other people of faith are often overlooked when forming 
community policing partnerships. When this happens, a valuable resource 
can be ignored, because FBOs have so much to contribute. 

Faith-Based Organizations 
A Wellspring of 
Resources Waiting 
to Be Tapped 

FBOs are in a position to marshall an incredible amount of resources to 
address community problems. 
 There are more than 350,000 religious congregations in the U.S. 
The average congregation has 100-400 members. 
 They engage 45 million volunteers, nearly half of the total number of 
American volunteers. 
 U.S. congregations generate an estimated $81 billion annually in 
revenues, much of which is used to support programs that address 
social needs. 

Source: Americas Religious Congregations: Measuring Their Contributions to Society, 
published in 2000 by Independent Sector (www.IndependentSector.org) 


COPS VBI Success Stories

Law Enforcement/ 
FBO Collaborations 
That Have Spawned 
Meaningful 
Community Change 
Through VBIs 

Ministers Against Crime

Fort Worth, Texas 

Picture of Ministers Against Crime members with Ralph Mendoza
Ministers Against Crime
with Fort Worth Police Chief
Ralph Mendoza (first row center)

Ministers Against Crime (MAC) is a sophisticated crime 
watch program staffed entirely by Fort Worth clergy who are 
committed to making their community a safer place to live. 
Every evening, several teams of police-trained clergy drive 
through high-crime neighborhoods during peak 
crime hours. They are looking for signs of illegal activity  
ranging from street fights to suspected drug houses and 
other suspicious activities to crimes in progress 
 which they report to the police via portable radios. 

The 23-member volunteer MAC force evolved out of the Fort Worth
Ministers Police Academy, which was developed by the Fort Worth Police 
Department (FWPD) to educate area clergy about police operations. 
Participants gained a new respect for police who, they came to understand, 
were doing everything possible to control crime and protect citizens. 
Several faith leaders decided they wanted to do something tangible to help 
decrease crime and violence in inner-city neighborhoods. With the 
assistance of the FWPD, which provides training and equipment, they 
organized MAC in 1996. The COPS Office has since provided VBI 
funding to expand MAC as well as to support additional Ministers Police 
Academy training. 

Over the years, MAC has earned the support of both the police and Fort 
Worth residents. Police say that violent crime has fallen in the 
neighborhoods where MAC patrols. They also appreciate the ability of 
clergy, who are among the most trusted members of the community, to 


diffuse potentially violent situations. For example, if a crowd is beginning 
to congregate around a police officer who has stopped someone for a traffic 
violation  a situation that could escalate out of control  a MAC team 
will often intervene. MAC clergy will get out of their cars and calmly 
address the group, urging people to go back to their homes and let the 
police do their job. Since MAC was established, not a single crowd incident 
has resulted in violence. 

Stop the Madness

Fort Wayne, Indiana 

When police and clergy in Fort Wayne, Indiana, began discussing ways they 
might work together to improve their community, it didnt take long for 
them to agree on a mutual goal: stemming the growing incidence of 
youth crime and violence. 

A primary strategy was to use VBI funds to enhance and expand a small 
but effective youth prevention program that had been established several years 
earlier by a local minister. The goal of this program, known as Stop the 
Madness, is to recruit and train clergy and other people of faith to serve as 
volunteer mentors. Mentors work with area students who are at risk of failing 
in school and/or adopting self-destructive lifestyles. 

A key component of the program is Lunch Talk. A mentor meets weekly, 
usually during the lunch hour, with one or a small group of students. 
The mentor initiates a conversation about critical life issues  such as self-
discipline, peer pressure or why students should strive for academic 
excellence  that are an integral part of building the character of a youngster. 

Additionally, officers from the Fort Wayne Police Department have met 
with Lunch Talk students for friendly, casual conversation. This is 
an important first step in creating a bond of trust between police and 
area youth. 

Stop the Madness focuses on three measurable outcomes for participating 
students: improved grades, fewer disciplinary problems and reduced 
expulsion rates. So far, the program has shown improvement in all areas. 

Mentors say they are willing to stick with the program because they can see 
how it is making a difference in the lives of children. These are good kids 
who just need some positive attention and guidance, explained one mentor. 

Image of a man with two students

A Lunch Talk mentoring session 
at South Side High School in 
Fort Wayne, Indiana. 
Lunch Talk is part of the 
Stop the Madness program. 


Boston Reentry Initiative

Boston, Massachusetts 

After a decade of working hand-in-hand with the community to rid Boston 
streets of gang violence, the Boston Police Department (BPD) was faced 
with a new challenge: a 13 percent spike in gun violence during the first six 
months of 2000. Research indicated that much of the surge in violence 
could be tied to gang members who had been incarcerated in the nearby 
Suffolk County House of Correction during the 1990s. Upon release, 
many of these felons returned to the community and engaged in the same 
kind of violent criminal activity that had previously disrupted the stability of 
central Boston neighborhoods. 

Picture of Boston Reentry Initiative Team 

In response, the BPD and the Suffolk County Sheriffs Department 
developed the Boston Reentry Initiative. The BRI is a comprehensive 
intervention program designed to give high-risk offenders preparing 
to leave the Suffolk County House of Correction the tools to 
avoid future crime and build stable, productive 
lives. Funded in large part by VBI dollars, the BRI works because it 
includes the key community institutions  police, prosecutors, social 
service agencies, employment training programs as well as a wide range of 
other community-based direct service providers  required to help 
individuals accustomed to a gang lifestyle change the direction of their lives. 

One aspect of the BRI involves faith-based organizations, which provide 
one-to-one mentoring to returning offenders. The mentors, who come 
from four urban-based FBOs, share a unique characteristic that makes them 
especially effective: They were raised in rough inner-city neighborhoods 
and they understand firsthand the temptations of street life. Each returning 
offender in the reentry program is assigned to a mentor, who provides 
intensive support and guidance both before and after release. Mentors 
work with returning offenders to make sure they have the education, 
employment training, and other social and rehabilitation resources they 
need to reintegrate into the community. They help returning offenders 
deal with many of the personal problems they typically encounter upon 
leaving prison: no job, no reliable friends outside their former gang 
network, no easy way to get on with life. While mentors provide a much-
needed emotional safety net for returning felons, they are not taken in by 
poor me stories. When a guy tells me his boss is mean or that his sister 
is going to kick him out of her house if he doesnt get a job, I tell him to 


deal with it, explained one mentor. I point out that he has made a lot 
of mistakes and that hes going to have to do whatever it takes to change 
his life. 

This enlightened approach to mentoring, coupled with the broad range of 
other community-based services available to some 225 returning felons 
annually through the reentry program, seems to be working. Although 
long-range studies are under way, early findings indicate that returning 
offenders participating in the program  when compared to other 
returning offenders  are less likely to commit the serious crimes that 
reflect their past criminal histories. 

Building a Generation

Redlands, California 

What can a community do to prevent, or at least substantially reduce, the 
potential problems of youth (such as school failure, substance abuse and 
juvenile delinquency) that often are precursors of serious crime? Thats the 
question that Jim Bueermann, chief of the Redlands Police 
Department, started asking several years ago. The answer led to Building a Generation (BAG), 
a comprehensive, community-wide effort to address the early symptoms of crime among 
Redlands children. BAG  which is based on a proven, risk-focused prevention model developed 
by researchers at the University of Washington (see Appendix B)  involves scores of faith-based 
organizations and other public and private groups. 
They are working together to ensure that every child in Redlands has access 
to the intervention and prevention services he or she needs to become 
a healthy, responsible adult. 

For example, when research showed that there was a shortage of after-
school programs in neighborhoods with high rates of juvenile delinquency, 
area faith-based organizations participating in the Cops and Clergy 
Network stepped forward. They wanted to provide a safe, structured 
environment where youth who had no place to go after school could be 
mentored and tutored by skilled, caring adults. The FBOs supplied the 
space as well as staff in the form of volunteers from their congregations; the 
Redlands Police Department assisted with start-up grants of a few thousand 
dollars (from drug seizure money) to purchase supplies and equipment. 
Today, these FBOs operate six after-school programs that serve nearly 500 
at-risk youth K-12. Although a formal evaluation component has only 
recently been added, strong anecdotal information indicates that the 
academic performance of children in the after-school program has improved 
considerably. This after-school effort has been so successful that BAG 
officials are planning to double the size of the program within the next year. 


Creating a Mechanism for Community Problem-Solving 

A VBI Bonus 

The value of collaboration goes well beyond the joint implementation of
a VBI project designed to reduce crime or address social symptoms that 
too often lead to criminal activity. 

In several communities, the VBI process of collaboration and power sharing 
has spawned both formal and informal mechanisms for community 
problem-solving. 

 
Among the many positive things that have come out of Building a 
Generation  the Redlands, California, VBI project  is the Chiefs 
Clergy Advisory Council. The council, which consists of about 10 
respected area faith leaders, functions as a kind of spiritual SWAT team. 
Although members meet monthly with the police chief to advise him 
about sensitive community issues, they are also available on an on-call 
basis to respond to special problems that might require immediate 
attention. 

For example, when a group of young men began disrupting Market 
Night, a popular entertainment venue for families, the Redlands Police 
Chief consulted with his Clergy Advisory Council. Because most of the 
rowdy behavior was offensive but not necessarily illegal, the police chief 
wanted to find an unobtrusive way to disperse the troublesome teens. 
Council members sprang into action. They formed teams with police 
and began patrolling Market Night. Clergy members confronted the 
disruptive youths, telling them to stop misbehaving or the police would 
arrest them. The clergys intervention deflected attention away from the 
police, who would typically be accused of harassment or aggressive 
tactics if they had tried to disperse the teens alone. Within a few weeks, 
peace was restored to Market Night. 

Ministers Against Crime (MAC)  part of the VBI project in Fort 
Worth, Texas  do more than conduct nightly crime patrols. They help 
the police keep potentially volatile situations from escalating to violence. 
For example, when there was a citizen march (10,000 people strong) in 
Fort Worth to protest the probation of a man convicted of a racially 
motivated killing, MAC members were out in full force. They moved 
throughout the crowd and set up posts on street corners, urging 
marchers to focus on their goal of making a non-violent political 
statement. There was not a single incident of violence or vandalism 
during the march. 


VBI Collaboration:
A Win/Win Undertaking

Everybody wins when law enforcement agencies, faith-based 
organizations and community groups forge a VBI partnership. 

Law Enforcement 
Agencies 

Enforcing the law is easier and more successful when police and other 
law enforcement officials make faith-based organizations their partners. 

Not only do FBOs rally the community to reduce crime and disorder, 
but they also serve as a mechanism for ongoing problem-solving by 
discussing the important role of law enforcement: 
 They can be a powerful calming influence, defusing potentially 
volatile situations and even garnering a public show of support 
for the police. For example, when a minister involved in a VBI 
project stands on the pulpit and explains to his congregation 
what was involved in a controversial police incident  why, for 
example, a police shooting took place  the congregation is 
more likely to accept his word. They trust the clergy to check out 
the facts and separate truth from rumor and reflex reaction. 
 The clergy can also be an important community unifying force in 
times of crisis, such as in the wake of the 9/11 terrorist attacks. 
They can communicate with large numbers of people and quickly 
mobilize them around vital homeland security issues. 


Faith-Based 
Organizations 

Clergy and other faith leaders, who are often left out of law enforcement 
policy-making, will be invited to play a pivotal role in their communitys 
crime-prevention efforts. 

With the enthusiastic support of the police and the greater community, 
they will have an opportunity to operate the kind of prevention 
programs that will truly make a difference. 

They can also play a visible and ongoing role in improving relations 
between the police and the community. 

The Community 

The community will be a better place to live. Not only will crime be 
reduced, but there will be effective social programs in place to help 
families deal with problems that, if not addressed in a timely manner, 
could lead to criminal activity as well as personal or family dysfunction. 
 
Any strained relations between the police and the community should 
gradually begin to dissipate as law enforcement officials, responding to 
the counsel of their FBO partners, adopt more socially and culturally 
sensitive policies. 


Establishing a VBI: The Process

Because every law enforcement/FBO collaboration is different, there 
is no exact formula for establishing a VBI. However, here are a few 
basic steps to help you get started. 

STEP I: 
Readiness Factors 

Leadership 

Some law enforcement/FBO collaborations begin as a result of remarkable 
insight on the part of a police chief or sheriff and an FBO leader within a 
community. However, many are forged out of necessity in response to a 
single or series of defining (and often violent) incidents that spur the 
community to action, as was the case in Boston during the early 1990s. 

Whatever the initial impetus, no law enforcement/FBO collaboration can 
be expected to succeed over the long term without the support and 
leadership of the key law enforcement officials, government representatives 
and spiritual leaders in a community. 

Tale of Two Leaders

Picture of Chief James R. Bueermann

When Jim Bueermann was a young police officer, he apprehended a
15-year-old juvenile who lived in a disadvantaged neighborhood where
single parenthood and a myriad of economic and social problems were the
norm.  I remembered him as a nice kid who rode on the school bus that
I drove while I was in college, said Bueermann, now chief of police of
the Redlands (California) Police Department (RPD). In just a few
years, this youngster with so much potential had become a drug addict
and a killer.
That and similar incidents convinced Bueermann that the seeds of most
violent crime begin in childhood, with parents who lack the skills and
resources to provide their children with the kind of stable, loving
environment they need to thrive.  I realized that the police could never
adequately control crime unless we were able to confront the issues that
caused crime, he explained.
Bueermann spent several years looking for a viable prevention model
that comprehensively addressed the family problems that lay at the root of
crime and violence.  Once he found such a model (see Building a
Generation on page 12), he used the bully pulpit of the police department



to rally the community. Under his leadership, the RPD secured a VBI 
grant from COPS, as well as other funding, to support a project known as 
Building a Generation (BAG). Today, BAG engages virtually every 
sector of Redlands, from police to faith-based organizations and human 
service agencies to health and education institutions. 

A major early success of BAG was the establishment of family resource 
centers in four schools with large populations of high-risk students. These 
one-stop centers provide youth with a wide range of health, academic and 
social services. They also offer a host of family support services  from 
parenting classes and social services to employment assistance  which 
have helped many troubled adults become better, more stable parents. 

Picture of Pastor Ternae Jordan
Pastor Ternae Jordan 

Reverend Ternae Jordan, who has been working to improve the lives of 
the poor and disenfranchised for decades, is a pioneer in police/FBO 
collaboration. A decade ago, the pastor of the Greater Progressive Baptist 
Church in Fort Wayne, Indiana, had grown weary of presiding over the 
burials of so many young people who were the victims of gang violence. 
Over the course of several years, he mobilized the community to take steps 
to stop youth violence. He raised money to establish Stop the Madness, a 
program that provides long-term mentoring to at-risk youngsters who  
without a strong, positive influence in their lives  are vulnerable to 
everything from school failure and teen pregnancy to substance abuse 
and crime. 

In 2000, Jordan joined forces with Fort Wayne Police Chief Russell York. 
Their goal was to create a mechanism for improving relations between 
the police and clergy so that the two groups could work together more 
effectively to reduce youth crime and violence. Jordan and York 
developed the VBI Ministerial Police Academy, which educates the clergy 
about police operations. It also serves as a common ground for resolving 
conflicts and clarifying misinformation, both of which can be formidable 
barriers to collaboration. (For more information, see Faith Leaders 
Ministerial Academies on page 21.) 

Jordan used the considerable public capital he had amassed as a spiritual 
leader to convince clergymen and women in Fort Wayne to set aside 
several hours a week for three months to participate in the ministerial 
police academy. To date, more than 152 people of faith have graduated 
from the academy. They are among our best advocates, said Police 
Chief York. Even those who once were quick to criticize us are now 
staunch supporters. 


Commitment to 
Sharing Power and 
Decision-Making 

Not all that long ago, many police departments and other law enforcement 
agencies were fairly autonomous in establishing policies and procedures 
related to public safety. With the advent of community policing, however, 
collaborative problem-solving around crime prevention has become 
common practice. Community policing engages the community as 
partners, giving them a say in defining the problems of crime and in helping 
to forge solutions that will not only deter crime and reduce the fear of 
crime but also improve the quality of life for residents. 

An increasing number of law enforcement agencies have embraced 
community policing and have established a variety of productive 
partnerships with FBOs and other groups where problem-solving and 
decision-making are shared with law enforcement. 

The trade-off: Police increasingly recognize the value of the heightened 
level of understanding that many faith-based organizations possess about 
the nature and impact of crime in their communities. Thats why law 
enforcement officials are willing to listen to their FBO partners and give 
them an increased role in making their neighborhoods safer places. 

Below are a few examples of how police departments can ensure that their 

VBI partners are treated as equals: 
 -Send top police officials, along with frontline officers, to VBI meetings. 
 -Respond promptly to telephone calls and other inquiries from clergy and 
other VBI partners. 
 -Dont dictate solutions. Solicit input from faith-based organizations and 
other participating groups. Encourage them to define needs from their 
points of view as well as to recommend specific strategies for addressing 
crime issues. 


Commitment to 
Forging a Harmonious 
Partnership 

In any collaboration involving multiple partners, there are likely to be 
moments of strife. Oftentimes one or more partners will enter a 
collaboration with ambivalent or even negative feelings about other 
partners. There could be questions such as... 

Why are these ministers here? What do they have to contribute? 

This collaboration will never work because the police wont take us seriously. 

When people sit down in good faith  with open hearts and open minds  
conflicts and misunderstandings quickly dissipate. This sets the stage for 
the kind of personal and organizational transformation necessary to build a 
lasting VBI partnership. 

Police learn to respect FBOs for the tremendous insight they bring to 
discussions about crime prevention. Because clergy in troubled 
communities tend to minister to both spiritual and social needs, they 
have firsthand experience with the factors that make people vulnerable to 
crime, violence and other destructive and dysfunctional behaviors. 
 
Through education and resources such as ministers and citizens police 
academies, faith-based organizations and other groups that may have 
been critical of law enforcement begin to perceive law enforcement in a 
new light. They come to understand that the life-and-death decisions 
that police make in the course of performing their duties are motivated 
by an earnest desire to provide public safety to the communities they 
serve, without bringing harm to themselves or innocent bystanders. 
When given the opportunity to learn about the realities of law 
enforcement, many former police critics have become staunch supporters. 
 
In an atmosphere of congenial dialogue, police and sheriffs might 
determine that specific law enforcement policies, which FBOs or other 
groups have questioned, could be construed to be unfair or inappropriate. 
They may decide to revise a policy that has aroused public concern. 

Example: The police chief in Redlands, California, implemented a new 
policy for traffic stops. He now requires police to tell individuals 
immediately why they have been pulled over. His goal was to make the police 
department more culturally sensitive and eliminate even the appearance 
that some people were being stopped because of the color of their skin. 

Participants recognize they have a stake in improving the quality of life 
in their community. Most will decide the best way to do this is to work 
together to correct social problems that so often underpin crime and 
violence. 



Two Proven Models for Improving Relations Between 
Police and Faith-Based Organizations 

COPS AND CLERGY NETWORK 
Cops and Clergy Network (CCN) is an informal coalition of police, 
clergy and other FBO leaders. The first CCN was established in 1998 
by a minister who believed that law enforcement officials and people of 
faith had more in common than they might think. I knew if we could 
just come together as human beings, rather than disparate community 
groups, something good would happen, explained Pastor Felix Roger 
Jones III of Redlands, California. 

It did. In the casual, friendly environment of CCN meetings, 
participants quickly overcame any negative preconceptions that they 
might be harboring and began focusing on issues of mutual interest: 
excessive youth crime and violence in Redlands. Soon they were 
exploring ways that area faith-based organizations could play an 
integral role in Building a Generation, a community-wide effort to 
divert youth from crime. (See Building a Generation on page 12.) 

Due to the success of the Redlands CCN, six other California 
communities formed CCN chapters with assistance from Pastor Jones. 
For example, Riverside, California (another VBI site), established a 
CCN because  in the wake of a controversial police shooting  both 
police and clergy wanted to repair the bonds of trust that had been 
damaged by the incident. Said one Riverside police official who is 
now a strong supporter of CCN: I guess I went to my first meeting 
with a chip on my shoulder. But all the ministers were so sincere 
about improving things. I could see that we shared the same moral 
values and the same commitment to helping youth avoid the pitfalls 
of street life. 

Soon police and clergy were exploring ways that Riverside churches 
could sponsor after-school programs for at-risk youth. 

Tips for Establishing a Cops and Clergy Network 
 Start with a small group of police and clergy who already have 
a good working relationship. Ask them to identify other law 
enforcement officials and faith leaders who might be interested 
in expanding the lines of communication between law 
enforcement agencies and faith-based organizations. 
 Initial meetings should focus on whatever the group determines 
to be important to their community. A popular, high-profile 
speaker with relevant expertise will increase attendance. 

 Assign those who are especially supportive of CCN to welcome 
new members and take other steps to ensure that all participants 
have a positive experience. 

FAITH LEADERS MINISTERIAL ACADEMIES 

A ministerial academy is a generic name for a formal, police-
sponsored training program for clergy and other FBO leaders. The 
purpose is to educate clergy about the workings of the local law 
enforcement agency. Most consist of one- to two-hour training sessions 
usually scheduled over several months. (Ministerial academies should 
not be confused with chaplain training programs, which prepare clergy 
to officiate at police events, offer spiritual guidance to police officers 
and serve police in related capacities.) 

A well-planned ministerial academy, which is often modeled after 
Police Citizen Academies, provides extensive information about the 
operation of the police department. Here are a few of the topics that 
might be covered: 

 An overview of crime in the community. 
 An in-depth look at major areas of crime, such as illegal drug 
trade, sex crimes, robberies and homicides. 
 Investigative procedures. 
 Policies and procedures for arresting and incarcerating suspects. 
 How a case moves through the criminal justice system, from 
arrest through the courts to either conviction or release. 
 The many non-traditional ways the police assist the community. 

(For more information, see Appendix C1 and Appendix C2:
Constructing and Implementing a Citizen Police Academy
[curriculum and workbook], and Appendix D: the Fort Worth
Minister Police Academy training outline.)

Effective clergy training programs also encourage frank but respectful 
discussion between clergy and police command staff. Participants should 
feel free to ask the hard questions. Law enforcement could use these 
opportunities to explain, for example, how a police action that appeared 
to be overly aggressive was in fact legitimate, considering the factors 
involved that the community may not be aware of. However, police should 
also be willing to acknowledge and follow up on any police behavior that 
seems improper. 

A comprehensive ministerial academy with the components described 
above will do more than improve communication between police and 
local clergy. It will generate a corps of staunch police advocates among 
clergy and other church leaders. 


STEP II: 
Planning and 
Implementation 

Listed below are basic procedures for planning and implementing a VBI 
or other police/clergy partnerships. They are meant to serve as guideposts 
rather than step-by-step directions. Additional, more comprehensive 
resources are listed at the end of this section. 

The VBI is a strategic approach that enhances the collaborative problem-
solving process.  It does this by focusing on something that every member
of a law enforcement/FBO collaboration cares about deeply.  The first step
for police and their collaboration partners is to identify and mobilize
around a specific issue the community places value on, such as safe
neighborhoods or drug-free schools.  Once this is accomplished, VBI
partners can begin to clarify the factors that threaten their particular
issue and devise realistic intervention strategies.

Picture of staff member with teen
Staff member assists teen with lessons 
in after-school program run by Safe 
Havens at the Wind of the Spirit 
Worship Center in Riverside, 
California. 


1 Develop a governing board of law enforcement officials and representatives 
from faith-based organizations and other community groups. Be sure to 
choose reliable partners who are in a position to make positive 
contributions. 

2 Jointly select a project that all partners feel would be of value to their 
community. This entails identifying a community problem and developing 
a plan for addressing the key factors associated with the problem. Common 
VBI projects focus on youth violence prevention; mentoring, tutoring and 
after-school programs; reentry programs for returning felons; race relations; 
community volunteerism; and community safety action plans. 

Confused about what kind of project your VBI group should undertake? 
One way to get ideas is to learn more about the nature and impact of crime 
in your community. This is available through police crime data and other 
local information sources. 

In Riverside, California, for example, VBI officials analyzed police data as 
well as information supplied by area schools, churches and youth agencies. 
They discovered that in many of the most high-risk neighborhoods, there 
were large numbers of latchkey children and very few after-school 
programs. As a result, hundreds of youngsters whose parents worked 
during the day were unsupervised between the closing of school and the 
dinner hour  the peak time for juvenile crime among teens. Once these 
facts came to light, six churches in neighborhoods with limited after-school 
resources volunteered to establish after-school programs for latchkey youth. 
When these after-school programs, collectively known as Safe Havens, 
opened for business in fall 2002, they offered youngsters ages 12-18 
tutoring, computer training and regular visits by police who serve 
as mentors and role models. 

3 Define project goals and anticipated outcomes and create a system for 
tracking desired outcomes. (See Tracking Project Outcomes on page 24.) 

4 Develop a budget and find ways to secure adequate funding. (See Funding 
Resources on page 30.) 

5 Determine what type of training is needed to implement your project. This 
includes administrative training  everything from how to write a grant 
proposal to how to keep financial and other program records that will be 
acceptable to funders. It also includes project specific training that, for 
instance, you intend to provide to 1) clergy who will participate in a crime 
watch program, or 2) volunteers for an after-school tutoring program. 

6 Decide who will do what: who will run the program, who will pay for it 
and what role various VBI partners will play. Then put it in writing. 
(See Appendix E1: Boston Reentry Initiative/Mentor Job Description, 
and Appendix E2: Sample Memorandum of Understanding.) 


Tracking Project 
Outcomes: 
A Key to Both Funding 
and Project Success 

Tracking project outcomes is so important because, in an era of 
diminishing resources and growing needs, both public and private sector 
funders want to make sure their money is used to make a difference. In 
fact, funders increasingly favor grant applications that contain strong 
tracking/evaluation components. 

Historically, many organizations have failed to utilize reliable 
evaluation mechanisms to document the efficacy of their efforts. 
Organizations often miss a golden opportunity to showcase the success of 
their efforts by not putting the evaluation piece in place at the beginning 
and thus making it an integral part of the project. If the project is 
successful, this ongoing documentation can later prove invaluable. 

Heres a good example of what can happen when a group fails to track the 
results of its crime prevention efforts. A popular shoplifting diversionary 
program utilized by a major metropolitan juvenile court had never been 
evaluated. When it finally was, research showed that the program did not 
deter shoplifting. The program was terminated but only after several 
years of wasting precious resources on something that didnt work. 



Additional Planning/ 
Implementation 
Resources 

 President Bush is committed to assisting faith-based organizations to 
secure federal funding for a variety of human service programs. This 
includes providing FBOs and other grassroots community groups with 
the technical assistance they need to access funding, plan and develop 
programming, maintain good financial and program records, and 
design and implement a strong evaluation component. Most or all 
technical assistance will be available at no charge to interested faith-
based organizations. 

The best source for information about federally funded technical 
assistance is the White House Office of Faith-Based and Community 
Initiatives (WHOFBCI), which has been sponsoring a series of regional 
one-day conferences for faith-based organizations. Information about 
future conferences is available at the WHOFBCI website at 
www.fbci.gov. (Appendix F). The conference manual, Guidance to 
Faith-Based and Community Organizations on Partnering with the 
Federal Government, is on the WHOFBCI website or can be accessed 
directly through Appendix G. 

The COPS Office, which supports a variety of police/community 
partnerships, has published numerous materials about building 
effective community policing partnerships. (See Appendix H1: COPS 
Office website.) Of special interest to those pursuing police/FBO 
collaborations are several COPS publications: Problem-Solving 
Partnerships: Including the Community for a Change (Appendix 
H2) and the Problem-Oriented Guide for Police (POP) series 
(Appendix H3). The POP guides consist of a series of problem-oriented 
guidebooks and a companion guide that could assist VBI partners in 
various aspects of planning and implementing a VBI. 

The Collaboration Toolkit: How to Build, Fix and Sustain 
Productive Partnerships. This definitive document about 
collaboration is published by the COPS Office. (Appendix I). 

Do not overlook local resources. Many universities and community 
colleges offer short courses in grant writing and related topics. These 
courses usually cover all the essential issues  planning, budgeting, 
program operation and project evaluation  that must be addressed 
in a funding proposal. Additionally, most foundations offer written 
guidelines, and sometimes formal training, in the grant-application 
process. 



Troubleshooting:

Solving Problems That CouldUndermine a Collaboration
Between Law Enforcement Officials and Faith-Based Organizations

Preconceived Ideas

Law enforcement officials want to prevent crime; clergy and other FBO 
leaders want to minister to the needy. These are not mutually exclusive 
goals. However, in troubled communities struggling with poverty, 
racism or other social ills, FBOs and other groups have not always 
sought out law enforcement as their ally. 

As a result, these two groups often start with a wide gulf separating 
them. Preconceived notions, as well as just not getting to know the 
person behind the label, can result in mistaken perceptions. The best 
way to break down any covert or overt animosities  and begin building 
a bridge of trust  is to address issues of conflict head-on. 

(See Two Proven Models for Improving Relations Between Police and Faith-
Based Organizations on page 20.) 


Confronting Racial Tensions in Fort Wayne 

When Russell York was appointed chief of the Fort Wayne Police 
Department, one of his initial goals was to do something about the 
intermittent friction between the police and the citys African-American 
population. He asked local United Way officials to help him find a 
meaningful way to address the problem. They responded by creating a 
study circle on race relations. 

Each study circle consisted of a series of facilitated discussions about 
simulated police actions and other community incidents that some people 
would say contained elements of racism. Every study circle participant 
brought his or her own personal background and unique life experiences 
to the discussion. As a result, some participants would insist that a 
disputed incident involved racial discrimination. Others, particularly 
those who had never felt the sting of racism, often failed to see any kind of 
intended bias. In their view, police were simply enforcing the law. By the 
end of the discussion series, virtually all participants  including police, 
clergy and other community leaders  had been transformed in some 
way. They developed a better understanding of the opinions and 
sensitivities of people from different economic and racial/ethnic groups. 
Most said the experience caused them to change their behavior, either by 
being more sensitive to racial issues or by not responding to every 
controversial situation with an automatic accusation of racism. 

The study circle was so successful in easing racial tensions in Fort Wayne 
that Chief York integrated the study circle concept into the training 
program for police recruits. Here is just one example of the many positive 
things that came out of the study circles: A local minister, Pastor Michael 
Latham, contacted Chief York to complain that a close friend and church 
member had been roughed up during the course of an arrest. Chief York 
arranged for the minister to meet with the arresting officer, whom 
Latham had earlier encountered during a study circle at the police 
academy. The officer answered all of Lathams questions, which included 
explaining why he had tackled Lathams friend, who tried to run from 
police during a traffic violation stop. I left the meeting with no doubt 
in my mind that my friend was in the wrong and that the officer had 
acted appropriately, Latham said. If I had not developed a good 
relationship with the young man during a study circle, I dont think I 
would have believed his side of the story. (See Appendix J for detailed 
information about the content of a study circle focusing on police/ 
community relations.) 


Different Styles

Police departments have specific mechanisms for solving problems and 
getting things done. Clergy, on the other hand, tend to be less systematic 
and often take a lets-talk-about-it approach to problem-solving. To 
make a VBI partnership work, both groups need to be flexible. 

For example, at a scheduled two-hour meeting on the topic of youth 
gangs, law enforcement officials may present well-documented 
information about the nature and extent of gang violence in a 
community. Many faith leaders, on the other hand, may take an anecdotal 
approach, telling stories about how families they know have been 
devastated by gang violence. Because every clergyman and woman will 
likely have a story to share, the story-telling could easily extend well 
beyond the designated time for the meeting. 

Police should honor and learn from the clergys more emotional and 
conversational style of communication, because it goes to the root of 
their desire to participate in a VBI. They want to make the community a 
better place for families to raise their children. 

But clergy must be careful not to exhaust the patience and goodwill of 
police officials, who are often rushing to the next call. Representatives 
from faith-based organizations should concentrate on communicating 
their ideas as concisely as possible. This might include assigning one or 
two faith leaders to serve as FBO representatives on occasions when time 
for VBI meetings is especially limited. 

Respect for Religious Rights 

The word value in the Value-Based Initiative refers to what a 
community places value on to enhance the quality of life of its residents, 
such as safe streets and healthy children. It involves the value of working 
together, including working with community and neighborhood faith-
based organizations to achieve an enhanced quality of life. 

When federally funded, neither VBI projects nor any other police/ 
community collaboration can be used to further inherently religious 
activities, such as worship, prayer, devotional reading of sacred texts or 
proselytization. Furthermore, no federally funded project or 
collaboration may discriminate against a beneficiary or participant in the 
project because of religion. For example, a Baptist church group 
operating a VBI-sponsored mentoring program cannot refuse to serve 
young people of different faiths or those who have no religious affiliation 
or profession of faith. 

Similarly, VBI project partners have equal protection of their religious 
rights. This includes the right to retain their religious character, the right 
to have board members who may be religious or clergy members, and the 


right to retain on the premises of VBI-sponsored projects any religious 
texts, icons or other symbols of worship. For more information, see 
Executive Order 13279: Equal Protection of the Laws for Faith-Based 
and Community Organizations (Appendix K). 

You can avoid potential conflicts about religious issues by laying out the 
ground rules right from the start. Make sure the policies related to no 
use of monies for inherently religious activities, as well as equal protection 
for VBI partners and beneficiaries/participants set forth herein, are 
communicated early on to any faith-based organization or police agency 
that expresses an interest in joining your project once it is under way. 

Impatience 

VBI partners must recognize that community change is a gradual process. 
There will be times when you will become frustrated by the lack of 
momentum and perhaps even tempted to give up. The reality is, 
however, that it takes time to build an effective VBI partnership and even 
more time to see the tangible results of your collaborative efforts. For 
example, if your VBI partnership is sponsoring a mentoring program for 
at-risk youth  youngsters who are vulnerable to but not currently 
involved in criminal activity  your community may not be able to 
document a reduction in juvenile crime for several years. 

In order to sustain the long-term commitment required for a successful 
VBI, keep all project participants, even those playing ancillary roles, 
apprised of your efforts. Use a variety of techniques  such as 
newsletters, public meetings, volunteer award ceremonies, fund-raisers 
and special events celebrating the achievement of important milestones  
to provide information about the progress of your project and to rally 
community support. 


Funding Resources

In recent years the COPS Office has funded 15 VBI projects to test 
the viability of law enforcement/FBO collaborations (see page 34 
for list of VBI Grant Recipients). Unfortunately, the federal 
government will never have sufficient resources to support all the 
potential law enforcement/FBO partnerships. Additionally, the 
purpose of all the VBI grants was to provide start-up resources, with 
the understanding that federal funds would be used to jump-start 
the projects. Now that the substantial benefits of VBI collaborations 
have been demonstrated, communities should find it easier to 
attract other public and private dollars to support their VBI efforts. 

Federal Faith-Based and Community Initiative 

The Bush administration has implemented what is known as the Faith-
Based and Community Initiative, which is designed to give faith-based 
organizations and other grassroots groups an opportunity to secure 
federal funding to deliver social and other community services. The 
objective of this initiative is not to favor FBOs over other providers, 
but rather to level the playing field so that FBOs can be competitive in 
applying for federal resources. 

The Faith-Based and Community Initiative is an important tool for 
faith-based organizations because it makes it clear that federal agencies 
are indeed allowed to provide public dollars to FBOs. While faith-based 
and community organizations have for many years received federal dollars 
to provide social services, the Faith-Based and Community Initiative is an 
effort to level the playing field for faith-based and smaller community 
organizations. The initiative allows them to apply for federal funding on 
an equal footing with other organizations, large and small, and to 
preserve the rights of faith-based organizations to retain their religious 
character while providing valuable social services. It also emphasizes the 
right of individuals to receive services free from religious discrimination. 
See Executive Order 13279: Equal Protection of the Laws for Faith-
Based and Community Organizations (Appendix K). 


The Changing Federal Funding Landscape for FBOs Under the 
Faith-Based and Community Initiative 

Under the presidents Faith-Based and Community Initiative, faith-
based organizations receiving federal funds have more flexibility than 
in the past in the way they provide services. 
 
In the past, faith-based organizations could not display in a facility 
where federally funded services were provided any religious symbols or 
icons, such as a cross or a menorah. Today, FBOs are allowed to do so. 
 
In the past, no federally funded services could have any religious 
component. Today, FBOs can design social service programs that 
include a spiritual or religious component - such as a moment of 
prayer or a bible reading - as long as 1) the religious activities are 
optional and separated by time or place from funded services, 
2) program participants are never pressured to take part, and 3) the 
provision of services is not contingent on participation in religious 
activities. 

Two things involving restrictions on religious activity in federally 
funded programs have not changed and will not change under the 
Faith-Based and Community Initiative: Neither FBOs nor any other 
group providing federally funded programs can 1) deny services on the 
basis of religion, or 2) conduct inherently religious activities (e.g., 
worship, prayer, devotional reading of sacred texts or proselytization) 
during funded program time. 

For more information, see Appendix K: Executive Order 13279: Equal 
Protection of the Laws for Faith-Based and Community Organizations; 
Appendix G: Guidance for Faith-Based and Community Organizations 
Partnering with the Federal Government; and Appendix F: website for 
the White House Office of Faith-Based and Community Initiatives. 


Other Ways to Finance VBI Projects 

Many police/community collaborations have been supported by 
volunteer staff, local fund-raising efforts and a variety of other 
creative endeavors. A few examples are outlined below: 

Project Safe Neighborhoods 
In the 1990s, a group of FBOs and community organizations in 
Wichita, Kansas, came together to find ways to combat the growing 
incidence of drugs, crime and violence in their neighborhoods. Because 
safer neighborhoods meant more home sales, they began negotiating 
with the local real estate industry. Agents were struggling to get home 
buyers to consider housing in declining neighborhoods. If Project Safe 
Neighborhoods crime prevention efforts improved the desirability of 
troubled areas, then real estate agents were willing to pay: $50 for every 
house they showed in target neighborhoods and $100 for every house 
they sold. This proved to be a win/win situation for everyone. Realtors 
substantially increased their income, and Project Safe Neighborhoods 
raised $200,000 to support a variety of crime prevention programs. 

 
AmeriCorps 
Today, thousands of AmeriCorps/Vista volunteers help fight crime, 
illiteracy and a host of other social ills. FBOs and other agencies wishing 
to utilize AmeriCorps volunteers to start up new or expand ongoing 
crime prevention efforts can apply to the Corporation for National and 
Community Service, a federal agency. AmeriCorps volunteers receive a 
stipend (usually around $6-$10 an hour) for their work. The 
sponsoring organization must pay 15 percent of the total project costs. 

AmeriCorps will often allow existing volunteers within a sponsoring 
organization, such as volunteer mentors, to become AmeriCorps 
volunteers. This allows an organization to secure the resources 
necessary to expand the involvement of people who are already doing a 
good job but who cannot commit more time without financial 
remuneration. (See Appendix L1: the AmeriCorps website, and 
Appendix L2: the AmeriCorps applicant toolkit for FBOs.) 

Law Enforcement Resources 
Law enforcement agencies have access to a variety of public and private 
resources, some of which could be used to support a VBI partnership. 
This will require police departments to rethink their priorities both in 
terms of programming and budgeting. For example, since 1996 the 
Boston Police Department (BPD) has provided more than $12 million 
to FBOs and other community organizations that have partnered with 
Boston police in implementing local crime prevention initiatives. In 
fact, the BPD is so committed to prevention that it has placed in every 
police district office a social worker who helps troubled families access a 
wide range of community services. 


Additionally, the Redlands Police Department has supported its 
Building a Generation VBI project in both large and small ways. This 
includes using drug seizure money to help faith-based organizations 
establish after-school programs for high-risk youth. The police chief 
also allows FBOs and other VBI partners to use his agencys copy 
machines and other equipment to perform functions related to BAG. 

 
Use of Existing Resources 

It would be a mistake to assume that every project undertaken by a law 
enforcement/FBO collaboration involves a huge infusion of cash. 
Oftentimes, viable prevention and intervention programs can be 
operated very effectively on shoestring budgets. For example, an after-
school program for at-risk youth would require a few basics: a facility, 
staff, and appropriate equipment and supplies. One collaboration 
partner, such as a church or school, might provide the facility while 
other partners might recruit skilled volunteers to staff the after-school 
effort. Several after-school programs operated by police/FBO 
collaborations have successfully solicited equipment donations, such as 
used computers, from area businesses and educational institutions. 
When local funders, such as United Way and other philanthropic 
groups, see this kind of community commitment, they will be more 
inclined to supply whatever minimal funding your project might need to 
get off the ground. 

Funding Resources 
and Related Websites 

See appendices M1-4, which contain a list of gateway websites, including 
the site for the White House Office of Faith-Based and Community 
Initiatives. Collectively, these websites provide the following: 

A listing of federal grants for which faith-based organizations and other 
VBI partners can apply. (Appendix M1) 

A listing of private foundations that fund a wide array of crime 
prevention initiatives. (Appendix M2) 
 
Assistance writing persuasive funding proposals that include simple but 
definitive outcome measures. (Appendix M3) 
 
Special resources for faith-based organizations developed by the National 
Crime Prevention Council. (Appendix M4) 


VBI Grant Recipients 
Boston Police Department (Boston, Massachusetts) 
Broward County Sheriffs Office (Broward County, Florida) 
Chicago Police Department (Chicago, Illinois) 
Fort Wayne Police Department (Fort Wayne, Indiana) 
Fort Worth Police Department (Fort Worth, Texas) 
Kansas City Police Department (Kansas City, Missouri) 
Metropolitan Police Department (Washington, D.C.) 
New Haven Police Department (New Haven, Connecticut) 
Portland Police Department (Portland, Oregon) 
Redlands Police Department (Redlands, California) 
Richmond Police Department (Richmond, Virginia) 
Riverside Police Department (Riverside, California) 
San Bernardino Police Department (San Bernardino, California) 
St. Bernard Sheriffs Department (St. Bernard County, Louisiana) 
St. Paul Police Department (St. Paul, Minnesota) 



Bibliography

Archie, Michele and Howard D Terry. (2000). Protecting Communities, 
Serving the Public: Police and Residents Building Relationships That Work. 
Pomfret, Connecticut: Topsfield Foundation, Inc. 

Braga, Anthony A. et al. (2001). Reducing Gun Violence: The Boston Gun 
Projects Operation Ceasefire. Washington, DC: U.S. Department of 
Justice, Office of Justice Programs. 

Bueermann, Jim. Neighborhood Safety with Risk Focused Policing. 
NeighborWorks Journal. (Spring/Summer 2000) pp. 25-31. Washington, 
DC: Neighborhood Reinvestment Corporation. 

Cohen, Debra. (2001). Problem-Solving Partnerships: Including the 
Community for a Change. Washington, DC: U.S. Department of Justice, 
Office of Community Oriented Policing Services. 

Dionne, E.J. Jr. and Ming Hsu Chen, eds. (2001). Sacred Places, Civic 
Purposes: Should Government Help Faith-Based Charity. Washington, DC: 
Brookings Institution Press. 

National Crime Prevention Council. (2002). Changing Communities 
Through Faith in Action. Washington, DC: Author. 

Rinehart, Tammy A., Anna T. Laszlo and Gwen O. Briscoe. (2001). 
Collaboration Toolkit: How to Build, Fix and Sustain Productive 
Partnerships. Washington, DC: U.S. Department of Justice, Office of 
Community Oriented Policing Services. 

Tri-State Regional Community Policing Institute. (1997). Constructing 
and Implementing a Citizen Policy Academy. Cincinnati, Ohio: Author. 

U.S. Department of Justice, Office of Community Oriented Policing 
Services. (2001). Problem Oriented Policing Guides. Washington, DC: 
Author. 

White House Office of Faith-Based and Community Initiatives (2002). 
Guidance to Faith-Based and Community Organizations on Partnering 
with the Federal Government. Washington, DC: Author. 

Wiener, Susan and Michael McCormack. (1999). Americas Religious 
Congregations: Measuring Their Contributions to Society. Washington, 
DC: Independent Sector. 


Appendices

Below is a list of the appendices, which can be accessed via the CD included with this publication. 

A: The Boston Strategy to Prevent Youth Violence 

B: Neighborhood Safety with Risk Focused Policing 

C1: Constructing and Implementing a Citizens Police Academy (lesson plan) 

C2: Constructing and Implementing a Citizens Police Academy 
(student workbook) 

D: Fort Worth Minister Police Academy Training Outline 

E1: Boston Reentry Initiative/Mentor Job Description 

E2: Sample Memorandum of Understanding (from AmeriCorps) 

F: White House Office of Faith-Based and Community Initiatives Website 

G: Guidance to Faith-Based and Community Organizations on Partnering 
with the Federal Government 

H1: COPS Office Website 
H2: Problem-Solving Partnerships: Including the Community for a Change 
H3: Problem-Oriented Guide for Police (POP) Series 

I: Collaboration Toolkit: How to Build, Fix and Sustain Productive
Partnerships

J: Protecting Communities, Serving the Public: Police and Residents
Building Relationships to Work Together (study circle curriculum)

K: Executive Order 13279: Equal Protection of the Laws for Faith-Based and 
Community Organizations 

L1: AmeriCorps Website
L2: AmeriCorps Applicant Toolkit for FBOs

M1: Government Funding Resources Websites 
M2: Private Funding Resources Websites 
M3: Proposal Writing and Related Technical Assistance Websites 
M4: National Crime Prevention Council Website 



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For More Information

U.S. Department of Justice
Office of Community Oriented Policing Services
1100 Vermont Avenue, NW
Washington, D.C.   20530

To obtain details on COPS programs, call the
U.S. Department of Justice Response Center
at 800.421.6770.

Visit COPS online at the address listed below:
www.cops.usdoj.gov

Created December 2003