Local Innovation. Shared Knowledge. Stronger Communities.
A national showcase of law enforcement agencies and the positive community policing work they are doing within their own communities.
Community Policing Happens Locally. Its Lessons Can Be Shared Nationally.
Every community is different. A community policing strategy that succeeds in a rural sheriff's office may look very different from one implemented by a major metropolitan police department, state police agency, university police department, or suburban municipality.
The most effective strategies are often developed when law enforcement professionals understand the specific needs of the people they serve and work collaboratively with residents and community partners to develop practical solutions.
Community Policing Across America is designed to capture those ideas and make them accessible to the broader law enforcement profession.
Every community differs in
"A successful program in one community may become the inspiration for a solution in another."
One Profession. Thousands of Communities. Millions of Lessons.
Across the United States, law enforcement professionals are developing solutions to difficult public safety problems every day. Too often, those lessons remain within one department.
A successful program may receive a local news story, appear briefly on social media, or be discussed at a conference — and then disappear from the broader institutional memory of policing.
CommunityPolicing.com wants to change that. Our goal is to create a living national library of community policing practice.
See What Police Agencies Across America Are Doing
Search by state, agency, or community policing topic and discover programs being implemented by law enforcement professionals across the country.
Click any state to explore community policing initiatives
Browse by topic
21 Community Policing Initiative Categories
Community Engagement
Neighborhood meetings, community academies, outreach, public events, community liaison programs.
Youth Engagement
Police athletic leagues, mentorship, school partnerships, youth academies, diversion programs.
Violence Reduction
Shooting reduction, focused deterrence, gang intervention, conflict prevention.
Crime Prevention
Residential burglary, auto theft, retail crime, fraud prevention.
Problem-Oriented Policing
SARA projects and recurring problem interventions.
Mental Health
Co-response, crisis intervention, behavioral health partnerships.
Homelessness
Outreach and service-based public safety programs.
Substance Abuse
Overdose prevention, treatment partnerships, diversion.
Traffic Safety
Crash reduction, impaired driving, pedestrian safety.
Domestic Violence
Victim services, lethality assessments, offender interventions.
Elder Safety
Fraud prevention, wellness programs, vulnerable adult protection.
School Safety
School partnerships, prevention, student engagement.
Immigrant & Refugee Outreach
Programs improving communication and access to law enforcement.
Community Trust & Legitimacy
Procedural justice initiatives and police-community relationship programs.
Officer Wellness
Programs supporting healthy and effective police personnel.
Reentry
Partnerships involving individuals returning from incarceration.
Environmental Crime Prevention
CPTED, nuisance abatement, environmental design.
Technology & Community Safety
Technology used to solve identifiable public safety problems.
Rural Community Policing
Programs developed specifically for rural jurisdictions.
Tribal Community Policing
Programs serving tribal communities.
Campus Community Policing
College and university programs.
What Problem Is Your Community Facing?
Search programs implemented by agencies facing similar challenges and discover what strategies they used.
Practitioner examples
Featured Initiatives
Real programs from agencies across the country — submitted, reviewed, and presented for practitioners who may face similar challenges.
Municipal Police · Texas
Austin Police Department
Neighborhood Business Partnership Initiative
A collaborative effort between patrol officers, local business owners, and neighborhood associations to reduce commercial burglaries through environmental design changes, communication networks, and targeted enforcement.
The Problem
A 14-block commercial corridor experienced a 34% increase in commercial burglaries over 18 months, with repeat victimization concentrated at 6 locations.
Result
42% reduction in commercial burglaries within the target area over 12 months. Three repeat-victim locations recorded zero incidents in the final quarter.
Sheriff's Office · Kentucky
Harlan County Sheriff's Office
Rural Mental Health Co-Response Program
A partnership between the sheriff's office and a regional behavioral health provider to embed a licensed clinician with patrol deputies responding to mental health crisis calls in a rural county with limited services.
The Problem
Mental health crisis calls represented 28% of all service calls with no local inpatient resources available. Deputies lacked clinical training and calls frequently resulted in emergency transport to facilities 90 miles away.
Result
61% reduction in emergency psychiatric transports. Increased referrals to community-based services. Deputies reported greater confidence in crisis response.
Municipal Police · Virginia
Richmond Police Department
Youth Police Academy & Mentorship Program
A summer academy pairing at-risk youth with officers, detectives, and community volunteers for a structured 8-week program combining law enforcement education, career exploration, and ongoing mentorship.
The Problem
Juvenile arrests had increased for three consecutive years. Community surveys identified significant distrust of police among youth aged 13–17 in three neighborhoods.
Result
Participants showed measurable improvement in school attendance and reduction in contact with juvenile justice. Program expanded from 24 to 80 participants in year three.
These are among the first submissions to CommunityPolicing.com. More initiatives are added as agencies submit and our editorial team completes review.
Submit Your Agency's InitiativeSmall Agency. Big Idea.
Many small police departments and sheriff's offices lack large budgets, research staffs, communications teams, or specialized units. That does not mean they lack innovation.
Some of the most creative community policing strategies begin with a small number of officers who recognize a problem and decide to do something differently. "Small Agency. Big Idea." highlights practical programs that may require creativity and partnership more than substantial financial resources.
How They Did It
For especially useful programs, we present a step-by-step implementation narrative so other agencies can understand and adapt the strategy.
Identify the Problem
Define what is occurring, who is affected, and how the problem was identified through data, calls for service, or community input.
Gather Data
Analyze crime data, calls for service, repeat locations, time patterns, geographic patterns, and contributing factors.
Meet With Community Partners
Identify residents, organizations, businesses, and agencies who share the problem and can contribute to the solution.
Develop the Response
Design a strategy informed by data, research, and community input. Define objectives and assign responsibilities.
Train Personnel
Prepare officers, civilian staff, and partners with the knowledge and skills required to implement the response.
Implement
Execute the strategy with clear communication, coordination, and documentation of activities.
Measure Outcomes
Evaluate results using measurable data. Distinguish between measurable outcomes and anecdotal observations.
Modify and Sustain
Adjust the strategy based on results. Document lessons learned and build sustainability into the program design.
Agency submission portal
Your Agency Has Something to Teach.
Every agency has programs, partnerships, initiatives, and lessons worth sharing. Whether you represent a department of 10 officers or 10,000, your experience may help another law enforcement agency solve a problem within its own community.
Our Standard
CommunityPolicing.com exists to share professional knowledge, not simply promotional material. Agency profiles should highlight positive work while remaining informative and useful to other practitioners.
- The problem
- The evidence
- The strategy
- The partnerships
- The implementation
- The results
- The limitations
- The lessons learned
Learn From It. Adapt It. Evaluate It.
CommunityPolicing.com encourages law enforcement agencies to learn from successful practices implemented by their peers. However, every jurisdiction is different. A strategy that produces positive results in one community may not generate the same results elsewhere. Agencies should evaluate local crime conditions, law, policy, resources, community expectations, available research, and operational circumstances before implementing another agency's program.