Many of these communities rely upon volunteer departments with scarce resources. Fewer than 10% of counties surveyed by the National Association of Counties said they are prepared to respond to a bioterrorist attack. One of the best strategies to build capability in communities outside major metropolitan areas is to develop mutual aid agreements to share resources.

Community Oriented Policing Services (COPS)

COPS supports and develops innovative programs that respond directly to the emerging needs of state and local law enforcement.
Promoting Proactive Policing: COPS has led the national effort in transitioning law enforcement agencies away from an exclusive focus on response to calls for service and toward proactive problem identification and intervention--an effort to ultimately reduce crime and improve the quality of life in communities across the nation. With both academics and practitioners recognizing the necessity of this paradigm shift in policing, COPS has supported the national movement by providing the additional personnel resources, enhancements in information technology, and community policing/problem solving training efforts. 


School Safety: From youth firearms violence prevention to school/police partnerships to physically assigning police officers to schools, COPS has been at the forefront of police intervention and collaboration by awarding over $600 million in youth/school intervention and enforcement programs. Additionally, COPS has introduced and delivers a unique multidisciplinary, team-based training curriculum that recognizes the importance of developing partnerships between school resource officers and school administrators. 


Emerging Technologies: Since 1994, COPS has supported the fusion of information technology into policing and vital modernization efforts at the state and local levels with more than $1 billion dollars in discretionary program investments. This critical technology, awarded to close to 4,000 police and sheriff’s agencies both in rural and urban areas, has yielded a more efficient and effective law enforcement. Technological enhancements support proactive problem analysis and intervention at the patrol level, while also supporting the investigative functions and improving case closure rates.


Police Integrity: Trust between the police and community is the cornerstone of effective community policing. The use of aggressive police tactics such as excessive use of force or racial profiling undermines community trust and is a barrier to community policing. Since 1996, the COPS Office has initiated a nationwide dialogue on police integrity among law enforcement, community-based organizations, researchers, and practitioners. From this dialogue, COPS has developed model problem solving and peacemaking programs, technical assistance initiatives, and police integrity training to be delivered to law enforcement and community members throughout the nation.

(from communitypolicing.org)