Community Policing to Combat Domestic Violence
In 1996, the Community Policing to Combat Domestic Violence initiative was
created to provide federal assistance to law enforcement agencies to encourage
and strengthen an innovative, progressive focus on domestic violence. In
addition to providing funding for officer salaries and computer technology, this
program provided funding for local shelters, counseling and medical centers, and
advocacy organizations. Applicant agencies were required to develop a detailed
Memorandum of Understanding with a local, nonprofit, nongovernmental community
service organization to form a working, equal partnership to address the problem
of domestic violence in their community.
The program awarded nearly $47 million to 336 agencies. Sixty-five grantees
focused on training initiatives to combat domestic violence; 238 focused on the
problem-solving model as a way to address domestic violence; and 33 concentrated
on implementing organizational change effectively within both a law enforcement
department and a nonprofit, community-based organization.
In 1998 and 1999, nearly $25 million in additional funding was offered to
targeted sites through the Community Policing to Combat Domestic Violence
initiative.
1998 funding included the following:
- $2.5 million was awarded to 16 sites in Washington State to continue
domestic violence-related efforts begun under the 1996 initiative.
- $6.3 million was awarded to 15 law enforcement agency test sites to help
develop comprehensive, coordinated, innovative techniques to reduce domestic
violence. Projects focused on training, implementation of a
full-faith-and-credit policy, investigation units, rural and tribal
communities, stalking, and underserved populations.
- $2.5 million was awarded to 25 Regional Community Policing Institutes (RCPIs)
throughout the country for training purposes.
- $1.2 million was awarded to fund four research and evaluation initiatives
designed to measure and evaluate community policing responses to domestic
violence.
1999 funding included the following:
- $1 million was transferred to the Federal Law Enforcement Training Center
(FLETC) to fund the development of nine community policing/domestic violence
training modules.
- Additional funding was provided to the 25 RCPIs to deliver the FLETC
training to communities in their regions.
- The efforts of the 15 test sites funded in 1998 were refined through a
training and technical assistance workshop developed in conjunction with
Office of Justice Programs (OJP) Violence Against Women Office and the
Battered Women's Justice Project.