The policing profession already faces many challenges in a typical year. However, it became clear in March 2020, as people across the globe encountered a worldwide pandemic, that the year 2020 would bring many unexpected complexities.

The Collaborative Reform Initiative Technical Assistance Center (CRI-TAC) began to immediately evolve to support law enforcement during these challenging times. Led by the International Association of Chiefs of Police (IACP) with support from the Office of Community Oriented Policing Services (the COPS Office), CRI-TAC uses a “by the field, for the field” model to deliver training and technical assistance resources to the field. IACP leads this effort in partnership with nine leading law enforcement peer organizations: the Fraternal Order of Police; FBI National Academy Associates, Inc.; International Association of Campus Law Enforcement Administrators (IACLEA); International Association of Directors of Law Enforcement Standards and Training; Major County Sheriffs of America; National Organization of Black Law Enforcement Executives; National Association of Women Law Enforcement Executives; National Sheriffs’ Association (NSA); and National Tactical Officers Association.

CRI-TAC immediately enhanced its portfolio of work to begin to identify, address, and develop resources to support the important gaps and needs for law enforcement during COVID-19.

COVID-19 Library of Resources

The CRI-TAC COVID-19 Library of Resources was launched in one week in March 2020 and has since received more than 21,000 page views. The COVID-19 Library of Resources was built as a one-stop shop clearinghouse of tools and resources developed by the field in the time of COVID-19. Housing over 300 resources, this user-friendly library is searchable by topic. It contains fact sheets, tip sheets, agency protocol considerations, webinars, sample documents, and customizable tools sourced from within the law enforcement field. The library also includes CRI-TAC-created tools and webinars such as the NSA-hosted Maintaining Morale During a Public Health Crisis and the IACLEA-hosted COVID-19: The Return to Campus and the “New Normal.”

The searchable database of these resources can be found on the IACP website at the COVID-19 Library of Resources.

COVID-19 National Impact Surveillance

Quickly mobilizing to meet the needs of law enforcement agencies as they adapted and responded to the COVID-19 pandemic, CRI-TAC began scanning the field and collecting important information on the impacts of COVID-19 on law enforcement. This effort, known as impact surveillance, allowed CRI-TAC to document overall public safety trends, identify innovative solutions, and extract valuable lessons learned to provide a perspective on the impacts of COVID-19 on U.S. law enforcement operations during a health crisis.

To accomplish this, CRI-TAC collected information on a number of themes, including administration and operations, community impact, crime trends, enforcement, officer safety and wellness, and collaborative efforts. The results of this effort will culminate in a forthcoming final public report later this spring.

COVID-19 Resource Development

After identifying resource gaps and needs in the field, CRI-TAC rapidly developed eight guidance documents and hosted multiple webinars:

Guidance Documents

• Considerations for Law Enforcement Encountering COVID-19-Related Deaths provides guidance to prepare law enforcement for the unfortunate situation of encountering a COVID-19-related unattended death.
• HIPAA Considerations for Law Enforcement during the COVID-19 Pandemic breaks down the important information departments need to know regarding the proper and legal disclosure to law enforcement of protected health information.
• Law Enforcement and COVID-19 is a 28-page supplemental guide to the May 2020 Police Chief magazine and provides a snapshot of officer safety and wellness resources related to COVID-19.
• Law Enforcement Officer Exposure to COVID-19 provides guidance in the event police officers are exposed to COVID-19.
• Law Enforcement Officer Sickness with COVID-19 provides guidance in the event police officers contract COVID-19.
• Line of Duty Deaths Due to COVID-19 provides a brief analysis of line-of-duty of deaths in 2020, specific to COVID-19, and was created through a CRI-TAC partnership with the National Police Foundation.
• Officer Wellness and Resiliency During the COVID-19 Pandemic provides guidance on officer mental and physical wellness.
• Weekly Webinar and Innovations Summary provides COVID-19-related weekly trainings, webinars, on-demand trainings, and innovations from the field.

Webinars

• The Stafford Act and Other COVID-19 Funding Resources webinar focused on providing information and guidance on the federal grant process.
• IACLEA led a discussion on the pathway to dealing with the “new normal” on campuses through The Return to Campus and the New Normal webinar.
• NSA hosted the Maintaining Morale During a Public Health Crisis webinar, which focused on what sheriffs and other law enforcement leaders can do to help maintain and improve morale of personnel—both sworn and civilian.
• The How to Prevent a Global Crisis from Becoming a Personal One: Stress Management in High-Stress Times webinar, presented in partnership with the NSA and FOP, offered realistic practices and tips for first responders and their families to address and manage stressors during a pandemic.
• The Pandemic in the Prairies webinar discussed the impact of COVID-19 on rural and small agencies’ operations, including patrol, jail operations, and court security. This webinar was hosted by the NSA in partnership with IACP.

Throughout 2021, CRI-TAC will continue to seek out opportunities to bring important resources and tools to the field regarding COVID-19. Through the Community Engagement miniseries and COVID-19 Field Features, CRI-TAC is developing a series of deliverables focused on increasing education; sharing innovative adaptations by law enforcement regarding policy, protocol, or operations; and highlighting lessons learned.

All resources can be found in the COVID-19 Library of Resources, on the CRI-TAC website, and on the IACP’s Law Enforcement Information on COVID-19 webpage.

Please cite as

Laura Wilt and Camryn Nethken, “Bringing COVID-19 Resources and Research to the Field,” IACP@Work, Police Chief 88, no. 4 (April 2021): 110–112.