Successful Practices & Strategies Vol. 2 | No. 3

Cuyahoga Metropolitan Housing Authority 

Police 

Cleveland, Ohio 

http://www.cmha.net

Community policing element 

Community partnerships 

Problem/issue 

Domestic violence 

Problem description 

Research has repeatedly demonstrated that any type of violence can interfere with a child’s ability to 

think, learn, and develop. But early intervention by skilled practitioners can lessen this distress. Police 

assisted referral (PAR) is designed to ensure that youths, families, and adult victims of domestic violence 

have the access they need to an array of clinical and non-clinical family based interventions to 

ameliorate the effects of violence exposure. 

Community policing strategies implemented 

The U.S. Department of Health and Human Services predicts that between 3.3 and 10 million children 

are exposed to domestic violence yearly in the United States. Broadly termed, “domestic violence” 

incidents not only reflect instances of intimate partner violence but also include a significant number of 

conflicts between parents and their children or among siblings. A review of Cuyahoga Metropolitan 

Housing Authority Police Department (CMHAPD) records indicates that conflicts arise from 

disagreements over curfews, cell phones, and other everyday disputes. 

In 2013, CMHAPD recorded 2,543 crimes (UCR Part I & II) and responded to 33,702 calls for service. 

Seventeen percent of the recorded crimes were classified as domestic violence, with an additional 7 

percent classified as felonious assault. While calls for services decreased slightly (approximately 6 

percent) from 2012 to 2013, domestic violence crimes increased 7 percent. Further, an analysis of PAR 

data indicates that 60 percent of referred youth witnessed (heard or saw) the violent event that resulted 

in the referral. 
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Police assisted referral creates a conduit for police officers to connect violence-exposed youths and 

families to case management, violence-prevention education and interventions, and mental health 

screening services. Spearheaded by the CMHAPD and the Partnership for a Safer Cleveland, the 

collaborative effort includes two local human service providers (Beech Brook and FrontLine) specializing 

in trauma-informed social work practices as well as an active research and evaluation partner, the Begun 

Center for Violence Prevention Research and Education at Case Western Reserve University (Begun 

Center). 

Already considered an emerging practice, PAR is founded on three principles: first, police are first social 

responders, working with traumatized individuals before other helping professionals; second, police lack 

the tools to respond to social crises—nothing on the duty belt addresses these issues—and third, police 

are ready, willing, and able to help. Studies demonstrate that 80–90 percent of police time is spent 

interacting with citizens in non-arrest situations. 

Here’s how PAR works: Each year, all police officers receive training, based on state of the science 

research, to hone the skills needed to interact with families and identify and refer those in crisis. In the 

field, police refer families in the course of their normal duties—they provide a referral card and reassure 

the family that the agency contacting them is trustworthy. The officer then telephones a 24/7 hotline to 

relay information about the family and the crisis. Within 72 hours, a trained social worker contacts the 

family, performs a crisis assessment (often in the home), and then works with the family to develop an 

ongoing service plan. Closing the loop, the service partner agency sends the officer (and chief) a 

confirmation letter letting him or her know that the family has been contacted. 

PAR extends policing beyond typical “arrest or walk away” strategies and provides a path for officers to 

form productive relationships with the residents they serve. PAR is based on core competencies of the 

community oriented policing model and includes an in-depth evaluation and partnership with residents 

to solicit feedback to help shape and evolve the program. 

Change and/or impact as a result of these community policing efforts 

PAR is more than a program; at CMHAPD, it is standard operating procedure. Any of the 78 active duty 

police officers may (and do!) refer families to PAR when responding to calls for service. Since 2010, more 

than 7,000 individuals have been referred to PAR for assessment and service. 

Beyond the primary service of PAR, the program has been demonstrated to improve interactions 

between residents and police. In two recent studies (combined n=270), more than 40 percent of 

respondents indicated their impressions of police had improved based on the interactions during the 

referral. Ninety-five percent of respondents felt police were respectful during the PAR interaction and 

more than 90 percent wanted the program to continue. 
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When evaluating confidence, willingness to obey, and respect for police, which are key factors of 

legitimacy, more than 80 percent of respondents rated CMHA highly. More than 60 percent were very 

satisfied with the services provided by CMHAPD. 

Moreover, in focus group sessions, officers have indicated that the program gives them piece of mind, 

knowing that they have linked the family with helping professionals. 

The impact of PAR is most powerfully demonstrated through the voices of CMHA residents and police. 

Here is a sample of the responses to the question of whether the program should continue: 

 “It gives the police and citizens more chances to connect.” CITIZEN 

 “They were there when I needed it most.” CITIZEN 

 “It makes my situation more personal to the officer.” CITIZEN 

 “It’s good for single moms who need help.” CITIZEN 

 “Yes, because it shows how the community and police can work together.” CITIZEN

 “The positive responses are not from actually being called back to the residence, it’s just from 

passing by and seeing people, they’ll just stop me and say how nice it was.” OFFICER

 “When I’ve explained it to [residents]... they were very interested. They were actually looking for 

help, but didn’t know where to look.” OFFICER 

The first study evaluating the PAR program was recently reported in Law Enforcement Executive Forum, 

a journal focused on law enforcement training and practices. For more information, please see J.M.B. 

Bartholomew, M.I. Singer, A. Gonzalez, and M. Walker, “Police Assisted Referrals: Empowering Law 

Enforcement to be First Social Responders,” Law Enforcement Executive Forum 13, no. 4 (2013), 38–49. 

Lessons learned through program implementation 

Initial evaluation and research related to the PAR program offer some promising results: 

 Police ARE effective social responders. 

 Citizens WILL accept help when it is made available to them for these social crises. 

 Providing police the ability to fully realize their role as social responders STRENGTHENS policecitizen interactions. 

 Cross-sector partnership (community service providers, police, and researchers) WORK to improve 

police responses and provide citizens. 
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In addition, it should be noted that PAR’s success is tethered to the strong support provided by the 

program and funding partners—from regular cross-sector executive and service meetings, to the 

commitment of CMHAPD staff in tracking referrals and communicating with partners, to the service 

providers who have tailored their responses to meet the needs of residents in the housing authority and 

funders who have allowed the program some freedom to experiment with services being offered, some 

of which have been reshaped or not continued as the program grew. PAR is a result of all these 

individual efforts that, when driven by a common vision, collaborate in a manner where the whole is 

greater than the sum of the parts. 

The opinions contained herein are those of the author(s) and do not necessarily represent the official position or policies of the 

U.S. Department of Justice. References to specific agencies, companies, products, or services should not be considered an 

endorsement by the author(s) or the U.S. Department of Justice. Rather, the references are illustrations to supplement 

discussion of the issues. 

The Internet references cited in this document were valid as of the date of publication. Given that URLs and websites are in 

constant flux, neither the author(s) nor the Office of Community Oriented Policing Services can vouch for their current validity. 

Published 2015