U.S. Department of Justice

Office of Community Oriented Policing Services

by Mary Beth Gordon

www.cops.usdoj.gov

MAKING THE MATCH:

Law Enforcement,

the Faith Community

and the Value-Based

Initiative
by Mary Beth Gordon

MAKING THE MATCH:

Law Enforcement,

the Faith Community

and the Value-Based

Initiative

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

M A K I N G T H E M A T C H: Law Enforcement, the Faith Community and the Value-Based Initiative i
Foreword

ince 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 community’s

capacity to address its own issues.

VBI Program Goals:

■ Strengthen partnerships between law enforcement and community.

■ Further the community’s 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.

ii

S

M A K I N G T H E M A T C H: Law Enforcement, the Faith Community and the Value-Based Initiative
iii M A K I N G T H E M A T C H: Law Enforcement, the Faith Community and the Value-Based Initiative

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

iv

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

M A K I N G T H E M A T C H: Law Enforcement, the Faith Community and the Value-Based Initiative
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

v

Additional

Acknowledgements

Continued

M A K I N G T H E M A T C H: Law Enforcement, the Faith Community and the Value-Based Initiative
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

vi

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

M A K I N G T H E M A T C H: Law Enforcement, the Faith Community and the Value-Based Initiative

Additional

Acknowledgements

Continued
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

vii M A K I N G T H E M A T C H: Law Enforcement, the Faith Community and the Value-Based Initiative

Additional

Acknowledgements

Continued
Introduction

he 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.

1

T

M A K I N G T H E M A T C H: Law Enforcement, the Faith Community and the Value-Based Initiative
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 ValueBased 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

America’s 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.

2 M A K I N G T H E M A T C H: Law Enforcement, the Faith Community and the Value-Based Initiative
3

F

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. That’s 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

ifteen 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 weren’t 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

M A K I N G T H E M A T C H: Law Enforcement, the Faith Community and the Value-Based Initiative
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.

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.

That’s 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.

4

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 didnít 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 ó the

best group of people that Iíve ever

been associated with. And there

werenít 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.

M A K I N G T H E M A T C H: Law Enforcement, the Faith Community and the Value-Based Initiative
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 child’s 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 child’s 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

won’t have anything to do with gang members.”

5

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 couldnít 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.

M A K I N G T H E M A T C H: Law Enforcement, the Faith Community and the Value-Based Initiative
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 sheriff’s departments is Geographic

Information Systems (GIS), a computerized crime tracking and analysis

system. With GIS, police and sheriffs can map crime on a communitywide 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.

6 M A K I N G T H E M A T C H: Law Enforcement, the Faith Community and the Value-Based Initiative
■ A growing capacity for collaboration.

In the past, police and sheriff’s 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.

That’s 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.

7 M A K I N G T H E M A T C H: Law Enforcement, the Faith Community and the Value-Based Initiative
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: America’s Religious Congregations: Measuring Their Contributions to Society,

published in 2000 by Independent Sector (www.IndependentSector.org)

8 M A K I N G T H E M A T C H: Law Enforcement, the Faith Community and the Value-Based Initiative
COPS’ VBI Success Stories

Law Enforcement/

FBO Collaborations

That Have Spawned

Meaningful

Community Change

Through VBIs

Ministers Against Crime

Fort Worth, Texas

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

9

Ministers Against Crime

with Fort Worth Police Chief

Ralph Mendoza (first row center).

M A K I N G T H E M A T C H: Law Enforcement, the Faith Community and the Value-Based Initiative
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 didn’t 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 selfdestructive 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 selfdiscipline, 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.

10

A Lunch Talk mentoring session

at South Side High School in

Fort Wayne, Indiana.

Lunch Talk is part of the

Stop the Madness program.

M A K I N G T H E M A T C H: Law Enforcement, the Faith Community and the Value-Based Initiative
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.

In response, the BPD

and the Suffolk County

Sheriff’s Department

developed the Boston

Reentry Initiative. The

BRI is a comprehensive

intervention program

designed to give highrisk 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 muchneeded 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 doesn’t get a job, I tell him to

11

Boston Reentry Initiative Team

M A K I N G T H E M A T C H: Law Enforcement, the Faith Community and the Value-Based Initiative
deal with it,” explained one mentor. “I point out that he has made a lot

of mistakes and that he’s 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? That’s 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 afterschool 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.

12 M A K I N G T H E M A T C H: Law Enforcement, the Faith Community and the Value-Based Initiative
Creating a Mechanism for

Community Problem-Solving

A VBI Bonus

he 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 Chief’s

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 clergy’s 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.

13

T

M A K I N G T H E M A T C H: Law Enforcement, the Faith Community and the Value-Based Initiative
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.

14 M A K I N G T H E M A T C H: Law Enforcement, the Faith Community and the Value-Based Initiative
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 community’s

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.

15 M A K I N G T H E M A T C H: Law Enforcement, the Faith Community and the Value-Based Initiative
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

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

16

Chief James R. Bueermann

M A K I N G T H E M A T C H: Law Enforcement, the Faith Community and the Value-Based Initiative
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.

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.”

Pastor Ternae Jordan

17 M A K I N G T H E M A T C H: Law Enforcement, the Faith Community and the Value-Based Initiative
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. That’s 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.

■ Don’t 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.

18 M A K I N G T H E M A T C H: Law Enforcement, the Faith Community and the Value-Based Initiative
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 won’t 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.

19 M A K I N G T H E M A T C H: Law Enforcement, the Faith Community and the Value-Based Initiative
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.

20 M A K I N G T H E M A T C H: Law Enforcement, the Faith Community and the Value-Based Initiative
• 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, policesponsored 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.

21 M A K I N G T H E M A T C H: Law Enforcement, the Faith Community and the Value-Based Initiative
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.

About Value-Based

Initiatives (VBI)

A Reminder

The VBI is a strategic approach that enhances the collaborative problemsolving 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.

22 M A K I N G T H E M A T C H: Law Enforcement, the Faith Community and the Value-Based Initiative

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.
▲

▲

▲

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.

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.

Define project goals and anticipated outcomes and create a system for

tracking desired outcomes. (See Tracking Project Outcomes on page 24.)

Develop a budget and find ways to secure adequate funding. (See Funding

Resources on page 30.)

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.

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.)

23 M A K I N G T H E M A T C H: Law Enforcement, the Faith Community and the Value-Based Initiative

▲3

4

5

6

▲

▲1

2
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.

Here’s 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 didn’t work.

24 M A K I N G T H E M A T C H: Law Enforcement, the Faith Community and the Value-Based Initiative
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 faithbased 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.

25 M A K I N G T H E M A T C H: Law Enforcement, the Faith Community and the Value-Based Initiative
26

Troubleshooting:

Solving Problems

That Could

Undermine 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 FaithBased Organizations on page 20.)

M A K I N G T H E M A T C H: Law Enforcement, the Faith Community and the Value-Based Initiative
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 city’s 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 Latham’s questions, which included

explaining why he had tackled Latham’s 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 don’t 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.)

27 M A K I N G T H E M A T C H: Law Enforcement, the Faith Community and the Value-Based Initiative
28

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 let’s-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 clergy’s 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 faithbased 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

M A K I N G T H E M A T C H: Law Enforcement, the Faith Community and the Value-Based Initiative
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.

29 M A K I N G T H E M A T C H: Law Enforcement, the Faith Community and the Value-Based Initiative
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 FaithBased 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 FaithBased and Community Organizations (Appendix K).

30 M A K I N G T H E M A T C H: Law Enforcement, the Faith Community and the Value-Based Initiative
The Changing Federal

Funding Landscape

for FBOs Under the

Faith-Based and

Community Initiative

Under the president’s Faith-Based and Community Initiative, faithbased 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.

31 M A K I N G T H E M A T C H: Law Enforcement, the Faith Community and the Value-Based Initiative
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.

32 M A K I N G T H E M A T C H: Law Enforcement, the Faith Community and the Value-Based Initiative
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 agency’s 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 afterschool 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)

33 M A K I N G T H E M A T C H: Law Enforcement, the Faith Community and the Value-Based Initiative
VBI Grant Recipients

Boston Police Department (Boston, Massachusetts)

Broward County Sheriff’s 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 Sheriff’s Department (St. Bernard County, Louisiana)

St. Paul Police Department (St. Paul, Minnesota)

34 M A K I N G T H E M A T C H: Law Enforcement, the Faith Community and the Value-Based Initiative
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

Project’s 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). America’s Religious

Congregations: Measuring Their Contributions to Society. Washington,

DC: Independent Sector.

35 M A K I N G T H E M A T C H: Law Enforcement, the Faith Community and the Value-Based Initiative
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 Citizen’s Police Academy (lesson plan)

C2: Constructing and Implementing a Citizen’s 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

36 M A K I N G T H E M A T C H: Law Enforcement, the Faith Community and the Value-Based Initiative
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