As police agencies around the world are faced with unprecedented challenges to the heretofore presumed legitimacy of their officers’ actions, the profession has witnessed a clarion call for improved connections to the communities they serve as one of the answers to this issue. It is axiomatic that faith-based organizations play an important role in countless communities and have been a key factor in many departments’ successful community relations. A survey and supplemental interviews were designed as part of an empirical evaluation exploring the extent of partnerships with faith-based organizations, their prevalence, and the factors that led to success or failure of such initiatives among police agencies in the United States and Canada.

In December 2003, the U.S. Department of Justice, Office of Community Oriented Policing Services (COPS Office) released a document entitled, Making the Match: Law Enforcement, the Faith Community and the Value-Based Initiative. The document was prepared in response to a question often posed to the COPS Office regarding problem-solving and community policing: “But where is the faith community?” At that time, the COPS Office was funding a strategy termed Value-Based Initiatives, which “emphasize[d] 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 document outlined the then-current state of faith-based initiatives, providing information on the establishment of such initiatives, and profiled several robust police–faith-based partnerships that had produced tangible results in quality-of-life improvements and crime and disorder reductions.

The Private Sector Liaison Committee of the IACP, in line with its mission “to improve the relations between the private sector and public sector by the discussion and dissemination of meaningful data” and in the context of findings regarding the need for effective community-police partnerships contained in the Interim Report of the President’s Task Force on 21st Century Policing, the committee sought to determine the state of faith-based partnerships now, more than 10 years after the establishment of Value-Based Initiative programs. Clearly, the faith community represents a potential asset in the establishment of effective community-police engagement, but how many law enforcement agencies are using this approach and what are their experiences?

Faith-Based Initiatives Survey

In partnership with IACP leadership, the Private Sector Liaison Committee developed a short online survey to gauge the current prevalence and quality of faith-based partnerships in law enforcement. The survey included items to measure agency location, types of community faith-based initiatives existing among specific agencies, and reasons why agencies were not involved with such programs. It also collected respondent contact information for individuals who would like to be interviewed about existing community faith-based initiatives within their agencies (see survey questions in Figure 1). The survey was made available through Survey Monkey, and IACP promoted the survey to police agencies in the United States and Canada through a variety of venues, including the State Associations of Chiefs of Police (SACOP) and IACP email newsletters. There were 218 responses to the survey.

Survey Results

The survey used agency names to classify the agencies by country. The 218 responses included 119 agencies in the United States and 91 agencies in Canada. Eight (3.7 percent) of the responding agencies were classified as unknown because respondents for those agencies did not provide an agency name or any other contact information.

Almost half (45.4 percent) of respondents indicated that their agencies have faith-based initiatives; the other 54.6 percent of agencies are not involved in these types of efforts. Based on responses given to this question, respondents were directed to one of the next two items on the survey.

Survey participants who reported that their agencies were not involved in community faith-based initiatives were asked to select reasons why they did not have these types of programs. Results for this query are presented in Table 1. Please note that respondents could choose more than one reason; they were encouraged to select all of the reasons that apply. Of the 119 agencies that did not participate in faith-based initiatives, three agencies did not provide reasons for the lack of them.

The most common reasons for not having a faith-based initiative in the community were that agencies have never partnered with a specific faith-based organization (84.9 percent) and that agency personnel do not see a need to create a faith-based partnership (17.6 percent). Only one agency reported that the agency once had a faith-based program that is no longer in operation.

Respondents who selected “other” reasons were asked to provide additional information about their reasons. One agency does not interact with the community apart from traffic incidents. Other agencies reported partnering with community agencies that provide counseling and addiction or other services. Clients have access to faith-based resources through this partner, but the agency does not have a direct partnership with a faith-based organization. The other reasons related to potential problems of being all-inclusive or offending certain groups in the community with faith-based initiatives.

Individuals who indicated their agencies did have faith-based initiatives in the community were asked to specify what types of programs are in place. Participants were not restricted to choosing only one type of initiative and were instructed to choose all types that apply. These results are reported in Table 2. There were 99 subjects directed to this item; 3 of them did not select a type of program.

As shown in Table 2, internally focused clergy liaison programs were the most common (72.7 percent) type of faith-based endeavors among participating agencies, followed by programs that provide the opportunity for police and community to interact to further dialog and understanding of different faiths and clergy liaison programs such as the Cops and Clergy Network (39.4 percent). The “other” programs specified include a police chaplain program and an initiative to provide training for faith leaders, so they can help increase community awareness and understanding about domestic violence.

The survey asked those who reported having faith-based initiatives in the community how long the partnership has been in existence. Close to half (47.5 percent) of the programs have been in place for more than five years. Only six (6.4 percent) existing programs were within the first year of startup (see Table 3).

Perceptions of the value or success of existing faith-based initiatives are presented in Table 3. Twelve of the existing programs were classified as too young to evaluate, and more than 48 percent of respondents characterized their programs as having achieved their goals and providing value to the agency or community. Only four programs (4 percent) were perceived as not having provided significant value to the agency or community.

For the initiatives categorized as providing some value without meeting all of their goals, some of the problems were based on unclear goals, functions, and individual roles. Another issue was the underutilization of programs. For example, chaplains might not be present on a regular basis or might be reserved for formal ceremonies such as funerals or academy graduations. The other obstacle mentioned is that it is hard to measure success if no one completes the required reports on the program.

The primary benefits mentioned by respondents with successful programs relate to strong reciprocal understanding of beliefs and roles between the police and different groups within the community. With this understanding comes greater trust and respect on both sides. These initiatives have also proven helpful when trying to proactively manage local events, such as protests, after incidents have happened in other areas.

Examples of Faith-Based Programs

The last item on the survey asked respondents to provide their information if they would be interested in being interviewed about their existing faith-based initiatives in the community. Names and contact information were provided in 12 instances, and 4 of these respondents who reported their programs were beneficial were contacted for additional information. Committee members involved in the survey project conducted interviews with the representatives from several different agencies to learn in more detail what made the programs successful.

North Bay Detachment, OPP, Ontario, Canada—Faith Speaks Out

In 2015, a rise in domestic violence crime reporting opened the door to a special partnership between the North Bay Detachment of the Ontario Provincial Police (OPP) and the area’s faith community leaders.

Detective Sergeant Joseph DeCook of the OPP and Wendy Abdallah of the Victim Witness Assistance Program began brainstorming about ways to solve this emerging problem. They quickly realized that faith leaders are trusted members of the community whom the community relies upon and that the community members felt comfortable engaging in dialogue with faith leaders. The notion of partnering with faith leaders to help solve the community’s domestic violence problems was advanced as an intriguing and innovative solution.

That revelation lead to the start of One Pledge, a group founded by the former mayor and police chief of the City of North Bay, along with 28 faith leaders from several denominations. Over time, the movement developed a new name, Faith Speaks Out, and grew to include 80 participants and 86 organizations. That partnership reached out through the various churches spread throughout the region.

“Today the fact that the program is well-received and still committed speaks volumes to the ‘Faith Speaks Out’ group and their community outreach,” said Detective Sergeant DeCook. “We are currently looking at next phases, like human trafficking and sexual assault, and then surveying our progress to see if we have had any effect.”

Louisville Metro Police Department, Kentucky, USA—Shield A Badge

In 2018, Louisville Metro Police Department’s 8th Division Major Jamey Schwab encouraged his staff to reach out to the community in ways beneficial to the department. Recognizing members of the faith community were looking for ways to encourage and support police officers, Officer Tim Thompson took the opportunity to partner with the local faith community with the Shield A Badge program. Originating in Arlington, Texas, the program provides an opportunity to faith-based community members to adopt an officer and provide prayers and encouragement to the officer. The program is open to all faiths.

While opening a path for local faith community members to become involved with the police department has been valuable, the encouragement provided to the officers is an added benefit. Major Schwab is a participant in the program and gets regular cards encouraging him and the officers he commands. Given the stress officers experience during their career, it can be easy for some to become discouraged. Knowing the community is supporting the officer can be of immense benefit to the individual officer and strengthen the community-police bond.

The agency faced very little expense in starting the program. The program is voluntary for the officers and their families. Faith community members are provided cards with an officer’s name, which were provided by the Louisville Metro Police Foundation at no cost to the agency. Major Schwab believes the low cost of the program will allow it to be sustainable over the long term. The program is currently active in the Louisville Metro Police Department’s 3rd and 8th Divisions, with plans to make the program department-wide by the end of 2018.

Marietta Police Department, Georgia, USA—Pastor’s Police Academy

The Marietta Police Department Pastor’s Police Academy (PPA) was modeled after the traditional citizens’ police academy, and the participants must be pastors or youth pastors with a congregation. Others with faith-based titles or religious credentials are not included, mainly because the goal of the program is for the police to reach out to the congregations of all faiths through the pastors.

The curriculum of the PPA is designed to provide participating pastors with areas of expertise the police department can offer to help pastors with their work for their congregations. Chief Dan Flynn offered a presentation on social media by the police cyber unit as a good example:

It is designed to help pastors better understand the social media platforms their congregants may be using in order to help them communicate with a more common language. Through interactive training like this, stronger bonds between the police and pastors grow and facilitate more open dialogue on more serious issues like dealing with the opioid crisis, or gang trends from the pastors’ perspective.

When information and communication flows more smoothly between the police and pastors, who are community leaders in their own right, the Marietta Police Department found that attitudes and mutual understanding tend to improve, clearing the way for building more trust between the community and the police.

Burleson Police Department, Texas, USA—Ministers and Officers for a Greater Burleson

The Burleson Police Department (BPD) began its faith-based partnership in August 2016 with the inception of the Ministers and Officers for a Greater Burleson (MOGB). A goal of the MOGB was to establish an outreach program to address underlying community issues that evolve into crime. For example, BPD experienced an increase in domestic violence–related simple assaults in 2017. Therefore, the MOGB is planning to host an outreach seminar on relationships that includes data on domestic violence, resources for help, and available counseling that addresses the underlying issues with a goal of reducing domestic violence.

The initial 14 pastors who joined the program attended a seven-week training course that included a tour of One Safe Place’s Family Justice Center in Tarrant County, Texas. “Since victims don’t always report domestic violence, we wanted pastors to understand their community resources and how a non-law enforcement referral can still aid a victim in hope of breaking a cycle of violence,” stated BPD Chief Billy Cordell. Pastors are trusted community leaders who serve a critical role in supporting their members. The MOGB created an opportunity to leverage pastors’ influence to address underlying issues that affect a community’s quality of life.

BPD also hired a part-time victim’s assistance coordinator and integrated the ministers participating in the program into a support role for the coordinator. Several of the pastors are on call to help with tragedies, death notifications, and other critical incidents. The primary pastor on call responded to 17 call-outs covering infant deaths, suicides, traffic accidents, and natural deaths. Two other ministers responded to scenes of four other call-outs. The pastors generally follow up with the family a few days after the call-outs, as well.

Pastors embraced the faith-based partnership with BPD and the vision to create a community outreach mission. By sharing crime data and understanding the negative impact on victims, families, and the community as a whole, the MOGB strives to break cycles of violence and reduce crime in their community.

Conclusion

In conclusion, the committee’s survey found that almost half of the agencies surveyed (45.4 percent) reported they had a faith-based initiative in place, with 58 percent of the U.S. agencies and 29 percent of the Canadian agencies responding affirmatively to that question. Two additional important findings of the survey bear note. First, of the agencies reporting they did not have a faith-based initiative in place, the majority indicated they had not partnered with a specific organization. Although the survey was not designed to capture the specific reasons for not partnering, such a finding could imply that agencies do not see a reason for or a value of such a partnership. Alternatively, as was determined to be the case for at least one agency, such partnerships might exist at a less formalized level.

Given the positive outcomes reported in the survey by those engaged in such partnerships, as well as the anecdotal information from the agencies profiled herein, the IACP’s Private Sector Liaison Committee suggests police chiefs trying to increase community engagement and develop strategies to deal with quality of life, order maintenance, or crime issues should consider whether the faith community can be a potential partner to address those concerns.

Second, for those agencies reporting that the initiatives they engaged in were successful, but had not fully realized their goals, the issues reported hampering full effectiveness included unclear goals, functions, and individual roles; underutilized programs; and a failure to be able to collect data due to noncompliance with reporting. The committee strongly recommends that police department leaders seeking to develop public-private partnerships of any type understand that they don’t simply just “happen.” Experience with the formation and sustainment of partnerships has been collected and is available to help guide chiefs and their staffs to create effective partnerships. In Public Private Partnerships: What Every Chief Needs to Know, the Private Section Liaison Committee created a pamphlet that outlines 10 steps to effective partnerships. The committee encourages agencies considering the establishment of faith-based initiatives to review the resources outlined in this article to help guide the creation of an effective partnership.

Leveraging the potential of a sound and robust partnership with community organizations from faith traditions provides an opportunity for an agency to tap into an existing conduit of information, opinions, and connectivity that can help the police do their jobs effectively. Today, the use of every tool at law enforcement’s disposal should be considered to bridge any divides and to engage the community for the betterment of all. d