Building Lasting Capacity for Violent Crime Reduction in Rural Communities

Many communities throughout the U.S. struggle to develop solutions to problems of violence and victimization. This struggle is can be especially pronounced in small towns, rural and tribal areas, where lack of resources, lack of specialized expertise and vast distances all work against comprehensive solutions. For 41 years, Local Initiatives Support Corporation (LISC) has worked in many of these communities, including sharing the role of training and technical assistance (TTA) partner for BJA’s Rural Violent Crime Reduction Initiative (RVCRI). We will utilize this experience and our extensive network of subject matter experts (SMEs) to provide Training and Technical Assistance (TTA) for 3 years and make micro grants for up to 30 sites under BJA’s FY2022 Rural Violent Crime Reduction Initiative Training and Technical Assistance supplement. We will ensure law enforcement agencies and their community partners have the understanding, capacity, and access to resources necessary to successfully implement Rural Violent Crime Reduction Initiative (RVCRI) strategies and maximize impact during the program period and after.
Partnering with National Policing Institute (NPI) our activities will include assessing site TTA needs and creating TTA plans, updated annually and tailored to each site that identify ways to build and enhance capacity to reduce violence. We will develop solicitation processes appropriate for smaller agencies, competitively rate, and make awards for ten micro-grants to local law enforcement agencies, technical assistance during their award periods.
Working with a range of national organizations and experts, LISC will develop or provide access to a range of products including knowledge sharing documents focused on innovative strategies to support community resiliency efforts, partnerships to implement collaborative responses to violence, and community violence intervention and prevention programs appropriate to rural communities. We will utilize webinars with experts in the field, peer sharing meetings between site planning teams, and hybrid remote/in-person meetings of program sites to develop a vibrant community of practice. We will update and develop data collection tools and instruments to ensure project management and measurement of individual program impact, as well as TTA impact, especially in relation to broader DOJ priorities. All these efforts will inform how small towns, rural, and tribal communities can effectively respond to violence and victimization.

Many communities throughout the U.S. struggle to develop solutions to problems of violence and victimization. This struggle can be especially pronounced in small towns, rural and tribal areas where lack of resources, lack of specialized expertise and vast distances all work against comprehensive solutions. For 41 years, Local Initiatives Support Corporation (LISC) has worked in many of these communities, including sharing the role of training and technical assistance (TTA) partner for BJA’s Rural Violent Crime Reduction Initiative (RVCRI). We will utilize this experience and our extensive network of subject matter experts (SMEs) to provide Training and Technical Assistance (TTA) for two years and make micro grants for up to four (4) additional sites under BJA’s FY2024 Rural Violent Crime Reduction Initiative Training and Technical Assistance supplement. We will ensure law enforcement agencies and their community partners have the understanding, capacity, and access to resources necessary to successfully implement Rural Violent Crime Reduction Initiative (RVCRI) strategies and maximize impact during the program period and after.

Partnering with National Policing Institute (NPI) our activities will include assessing site TTA needs and creating TTA plans, updated annually and tailored to each site that identify ways to build and enhance capacity to reduce violence. We will develop solicitation processes appropriate for smaller agencies, competitively rate, and make awards for up to four (4) micro-grants to local law enforcement agencies and provide technical assistance during their award periods. Working with a range of national organizations and experts, LISC will develop or provide access to a range of products including knowledge sharing documents focused on innovative strategies to support community resiliency efforts, partnerships to implement collaborative responses to violence, and community violence intervention and prevention programs appropriate to rural communities. We will utilize webinars with experts in the field, identity model learning sites to facilitate peer learning, and support remote and/or in-person meetings of program sites to develop a vibrant community of practice. We will update and develop data collection tools and instruments to ensure project management and measurement of individual program impact, as well as TTA impact, especially in relation to broader DOJ priorities. All these efforts will inform how small towns, rural, and tribal communities can effectively respond to violence and victimization.