The United States Constitution is the foundation for fair and effective policing. The Knowledge Lab is an effort to collect and make available the many ideas and innovations that could help agencies seeking to improve their ability to protect and serve their communities in adherence to the requirements and ideals of the Constitution.
This toolkit has been designed to point to specific grant and technical assistance resources that are available to support the development and enhancement of core issues in constitutional policing. The core issues are identified through actual civil rights litigation agreements found here.
The toolkit includes links to TTA, grants, resources, projects, and research related to each core issue area. The toolkit also aims to summarize the recommendations from police reform investigations and consent decrees but does not mandate or require and action by a department.
How does the Knowledge Lab define “constitutionally-based?”
Constitutional Policing is defined as policing conducted within the parameters of the U.S. Constitution, state constitution(s), and federal and state court decisions that define roles and responsibilities of law enforcement agencies and personnel in terms of everyday practices.
Browse by Core Issue Area
Additional Core Practice Areas Coming Soon
- Responding to Mass Critical Incidents
- Crime Investigations
- Officer Safety & Wellness
- Public Transparency
- Retention & Recruitment
- Personnel Training
The information provided within these modules has been gathered from various sources, including consent decrees, research, and practitioner and department-developed resources. These webpage modules are intended to be a guide for departments to use to improve their Constitutional 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.
Browse by Core Issue Area
Additional Core Practice Areas Coming Soon
- Responding to Mass Critical Incidents
- Crime Investigations
- Officer Safety & Wellness
- Public Transparency
- Retention & Recruitment
- Personnel Training