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CL-2864

New Business Item #: J.

Meeting Date:	11/01/2022
Subject: Fiscal Year 2022 Community Policing Development Microgrant - COPS Office
From:	Scott Booth

COUNCIL ACTION

First Reading:	11/01/2022
Final Adoption:	11/15/2022

SUMMARY

The Danville Police Department (DPD) project fulfills the need to build trust/legitimacy with the community and enhance DPD’s current efforts of transparency with its community by examining and understanding the nuances of how DPD was able to decrease crime and improve community collaboration/trust. DPD will work with Drs. Roberto and Rachel Santos (Center for Police Practice, Policy, and Research, Radford University in Radford, VA), to conduct a comprehensive case study to understand the effects of DPD’s efforts on its relationship with the community and city officials, its organizational culture, and crime and disorder. Using a mixed-methods approach for data collection from a wide array of individuals and groups within the community, local government officials, criminal justice partners, DPD personnel at all ranks, and official crime data, the project seeks to dissect and understand how DPD was successful and identify ways that DPD can refine, adjust, and improve its practices better to institutionalize its proactive community engagement and crime reduction efforts. For the broader law enforcement community, the case study results will offer specific community-based and crime reduction examples based on DPD experiences, considerations, lessons learned, and recommendations for implementation and sustainability. The goal is to guide other agencies and their communities in implementing an organizational model that brings together proactive community engagement and evidence-based crime reduction. The audience who will find the case study most helpful are police leaders, city managers, mayors, and communities who are struggling to systematically implement proactive crime reduction, while at the same time, facing high levels of crime and trying to build relationships with their communities where there is a lack of trust.

RECOMMENDATION

It is recommended that Danville City Council adopt the attached Ordinance Amending the Fiscal Year 2023 Budget Appropriation Ordinance by anticipating revenues in the amount of $106,554.40 from the United States Department of Justice 2022 Community Policing Development Program.

Attachments
Ordinance