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Byrne Criminal Justice Innovation (BCJI) Program

Training & Technical Assistance

To ensure effectiveness, Byrne Criminal Justice Innovation (BCJI) grantees work closely with the Bureau of Justice Assistance (BJA) and BJA's competitively selected training and technical assistance (TTA) partners, which are the Local Initiatives Support Corporation (LISC) and the International Association of Chiefs of Police (IACP). Grantees work with the partners to participate in information sharing sessions, facilitate peer-to-peer exchanges of information, and administer subject matter expertise that is relevant to BCJI neighborhood efforts. LISC works with the 2015-2017 sites and IACP works with the 2018 and 2019 sites.

LISC assists with an analysis of the crime in each community, engages residents and provides ongoing support to ensure the sites effectively use data, research and innovation to develop a comprehensive crime strategy. For more information and to view the wide range of TTA resources available (tools and templates, newsletters, papers, briefs, presentations, videos, webinars and other resources), visit the LISC website.

IACP promotes collaboration for local BCJI sites between community stakeholders and law enforcement with the goal of identifying and reducing hot spot areas of criminal activity.

IACP guides sites on:

  • Enhancing program planning and implementation through the ongoing use of data
  • Building sustainable, cross-sector partnerships to generate collaborative problem-solving between police and communities to address shared public safety challenges
  • Implementing place-based strategies to address problem areas to reduce crime
  • Incorporating innovative, collaborative, and resourceful practices to spur revitalization and generate sustainability

Using a variety of methods to deliver TTA to support BCJI grantee sites in their planning and implementation processes, IACP:

  • Conducts site assessments using a strengths, weaknesses, opportunities, and threats (SWOT) analysis approach to enable greater understanding of the assets and needs of each site to inform TTA delivery and peer-to-peer learning opportunities
  • Provides review and feedback on key deliverables of BCJI grantee sites, including action or implementation plans
  • Delivers customized TA to BCJI grantee sites using a team of subject matter experts across a variety of BCJI topic areas, including problem-oriented policing, community-based violence reduction, crime prevention through environmental design (CPTED), community/police relations, restorative justice, procedural justice, focused deterrence, social network analysis, collaborative reform, law enforcement-based victim services, and collective police/community healing
  • Harvests the expertise of practitioners in place-based crime reduction and police/researcher partnerships at the University of Cincinnati and the University of Nevada at Las Vegas
  • Matches BCJI grantee sites to peer learning sites and facilitates peer-to-peer site visits
  • Presents an ongoing series of dedicated webinars on BCJI topics
  • Delivers in-person orientation meetings for newly funded BCJI grantee sites
  • Launches BCJI Connect, an online peer-to-peer community of practice for BCJI grantee sites
  • Develops and delivers publications, tools, and resources highlighting BCJI efforts for marketing and dissemination to law enforcement, criminal justice system stakeholders, community-based organizations, victim services, local government, and research organizations
  • Conducts educational presentations at major law enforcement conferences on successful evidence-based practices by highlighting effective BCJI grantee sites
  • Harnesses the depth and breadth of IACP’s network and experience in advancing safer communities through thoughtful, progressive police leadership that succeeds in addressing the most pressing issues, threats, and challenges of the day

Visit IACP's site to learn more.

Date Created: December 11, 2019