Overview
Community trust and partnerships with law enforcement include an approach to community engagement that defines expectations for proactive community engagement activities, articulates agency leadership’s role in promoting and participating in community engagement, and establishes accountability mechanisms to ensure efforts are sustained and reviewed for continuous improvement.
KI Site
Knoxville Police Department
The Knoxville, Tennessee, Police Department (KPD) joined the Knowledge Lab’s Knowledge and Innovation (KI) Site Network for its sustained focus on building community relationships that strengthen public safety. The KPD pairs community engagement with data-informed operations by embedding analysts across units to support daily decision-making and problem-solving. The KPD prioritizes routine, meaningful engagement with residents through commander walks, neighborhood forums, foot patrols, and partnerships with community-based organizations and local government. These efforts promote two-way communication, increase visibility, and help connect community members with needed services. The KPD’s blend of data-driven operations and relationship-centered policing provides insights into how trust and effectiveness reinforce one another.
Self-Review Tool
The Knowledge Lab is developing an online self-review tool to help agencies reflect on their current policies and practices evaluate them against research and evidence-informed practices their performance in key areas of policing. This tool is intended to provide a snapshot of where an agency currently stands within this core practice area. There are no right or wrong answers, only an opportunity for honest reflection, learning, and continuous improvement.
Resources Related to Community Trust and Partnerships
The information provided within these modules has been gathered from various sources, including legal reviews, research, and practitioner and department-developed resources. These webpage modules are intended to be a guide for departments to use to improve their policing practices. Additional information and resources may be needed to implement the recommendations successfully. This resource is intended to be dynamic, and the Knowledge Lab will continue to update and add to these modules to provide additional and current guidance for departments.