Using Best Practices from Other Countries to Enhance the Quality of U.S. Policing

This program is funded under both the Edward Byrne Memorial Competitive Grant Program (Byrne Competitive Program) and the Edward Byrne Memorial Justice Assistance Grant (JAG) Program. Authorized by the Consolidated Appropriations Act, 2009 (Pub. L. 111-8), the Byrne Competitive Program helps local communities improve the capacity of state and local justice systems and provides for national support efforts including training and technical assistance programs strategically targeted to address local needs. The JAG Program (42 U.S.C. 3751(a)) is the primary provider of federal criminal justice funding to state and local jurisdictions, and JAG funds support all components of the criminal justice system. The JAG Program authorization also states that 'the Attorney General may reserve not more than 5 percent, to be granted to 1 or more States or units of local government, for 1 or more of the purposes specified in section 3751 of this title, pursuant to his determination that the same is necessary'(1) to combat, address, or otherwise respond to precipitous or extraordinary increases in crime, or in a type or types of crime' (42 U.S.C. 3756). This program is also funded in part by the Missing Alzheimer's Disease Patient Assistance Program (Consolidated Appropriations Act, 2009 PUB. L. 111-8), which provides funds to defray the cost of planning, designing, establishing, and operating locally based, proactive programs to protect and locate missing patients with Alzheimer's disease and related dementias and other missing elderly individuals.

The National Initiatives: Enhancing Law Enforcement Program, administered by the Office of Justice Programs' (OJP) Bureau of Justice Assistance (BJA), helps improve criminal justice systems and provides national programs and national efforts such as training and technical assistance to strategically address the needs of state and local justice systems and communities.

The RAND Corporation will develop strategies that will create ongoing dialogues between BJA and international policing improvement organizations. The twenty-first century has seen the development of a global economy facilitated by extraordinary advances in information technology. By nearly eliminating barriers of time and distance, these advances have propelled greater collaboration in many professional disciplines. More recently, law enforcement professionals are sharing best practice and lessons learned information across international borders. As institutes in countries with established criminal justice systems are formed to support innovations in policing, liaison opportunities are being created that have useful implications for law enforcement in America. The goal is to engage the international policing community on a variety of topics, including police administration, performance measurement, advancements in forensics and technology, investigative strategies, and community engagement, particularly engagement of neighborhoods largely populated by immigrants. The RAND Corporation will organize and facilitate BJA forums that will share information with the U.S. law enforcement community. They will also develop BJA publications and online resources, etc. to broaden the reach of this program. The RAND Corporation will identify international lessons learned and promising practices and translate the information into realistic, actionable material for law enforcement in America.

CA/NCF