From the Director: Partnerships and Community Policing

As we approach the 20-year anniversary of the Office of Community Oriented Policing Services (COPS), we’ve begun to reflect on both the numerous contributions made and the many, many changes the agency has seen. Signed into existence by President Bill Clinton in 1994, the COPS Office began under one primary charge—let’s fight crime by adding more officers to the field. But almost immediately, it became clear that the addition of personnel alone would not solve the issues plaguing so many U.S. cities. It would take the institutionalization of the philosophy that collaboration, problem-solving, and organizational change would lead to better policing and safer communities. It would take involvement from everyone–communities, law enforcement, businesses, and schools. It would mean that engagement becomes just as important as enforcement.