Title: Solicitation for Policing Research and Evaluation: Fiscal Year 1998. Series: NIJ Solicitation Author: NIJ Published: May 1998 Subject: Problem oriented policing, community policing 14pages 39,000 bytes ------------------------------- Figures, charts, forms, and tables are not included in this ASCII plain-text file. To view this document in its entirety, download the Adobe Acrobat graphic file available from this Web site or order a print copy from NCJRS at 800-851-3420. ------------------------------- U.S. Department of Justice Office of Justice Programs National Institute of Justice National Institute of Justice Solicitation Jeremy Travis, Director May 1998 Solicitation for Policing Research and Evaluation: Fiscal Year 1998 APPLICATION DEADLINE: July 20, 1998 U.S. Department of Justice Office of Justice Programs 810 Seventh Street N.W. Washington, DC 20531 Janet Reno Attorney General U.S. Department of Justice Raymond C. Fisher Associate Attorney General Laurie Robinson Assistant Attorney General Noel Brennan Deputy Assistant Attorney General Jeremy Travis Director, National Institute of Justice Department of Justice Response Center: 800-421-6770 Office of Justice Programs World Wide Web Site: http://www.ojp.usdoj.gov National Institute of Justice World Wide Web Site: http://www.ojp.usdoj.gov/nij Policing Research and Evaluation: Fiscal Year 1998 Introduction Policing in the United States continues to undergo broad and dramatic transformation. Research and evaluation on policing has been an important part of this transformation. The strategic shift brought by community policing and problem solving strategies has changed the manner in which police agencies conduct business with citizens and their communities and has reshaped much of our thinking about the nature of policing organizations and the policing strategies used to combat crime and disorder. Many of these changes have been documented through and informed by the research and evaluation that has been sponsored by the National Institute of Justice. Against this backdrop of discovery and change in policing, the National Institute of Justice announces its solicitation for a fourth year of research and evaluation on community oriented and problem solving policing. Background The National Institute of Justice (NIJ) serves as the research and evaluation arm of the Department of Justice. For the past four years, NIJ has instituted a broad research agenda focused on transformations taking place in policing. In partnership with the Office of Community Oriented Policing Services (COPS), and with financial support under the authority of the Public Safety Partnership and Community Policing Act (Title I) of the Violent Crime Control and Law Enforcement Act of 1994 (the Crime Act) [see 42 U.S.C. 3796dd-4, 3793 (c)(11)(B)], NIJ has awarded more than 120 grants during 1995 to 1997. These grants have totaled over $30 million for research and evaluation efforts regarding the implementation, consequences, and implications of community oriented and problem solving policing. These funds have been used to support a national evaluation of the community policing effort under Title I of the Crime Act, evaluations of specific policing strategies, locally initiated police department/research partnerships and other research and evaluation initiatives. Complete lists of the studies funded in previous years are available from the U.S. Department of Justice Response Center at (800)- 421-6770, at (202) 307-1480 and by FAX at (202) 616-9294. For this 1998 solicitation, NIJ is particularly interested in efforts that build on and consolidate existing research findings pertaining to community oriented and problem solving policing, especially those research efforts that seek to advance theory in these areas. Researchers are encouraged to look beyond current practices and propose research that forges new concepts and theories. Specific topics of interest are discussed in the following sections of this solicitation. Examples given in each section are illustrative, and applicants are strongly encouraged to develop proposals that present creative approaches to the topics presented. Some proposals may not fit precisely within a given section of this solicitation, while some may span several sections. In any case, applicants should identify the specific section(s) under which their proposal should be considered. Successful applicants must articulate a clear understanding of the principles and processes of community oriented policing, have defined a specific focus of study, stipulate clearly a scope of investigation, and (where appropriate) demonstrate the collaboration of one or more police departments and the community that will be the focus of the research or evaluation. Additional requirements for applications are outlined below in section VIII. This fourth year of funding for community oriented policing research under the NIJ/COPS partnership will provide a total of up to $8 million for research and evaluation efforts. I. Community Policing Evaluations NIJ seeks community policing evaluation proposals to assess outcomes and impacts of specific practices, and to identify promising practices that can be implemented in other agencies and communities. As in past years, this solicitation seeks evaluations that occur within a broad, agency-wide context. In addition, this section invites applications that would examine a multi-site programmatic initiative with a single substantive focus. A. Longitudinal Evaluations The implementation of community policing is a complex and long-term effort for a police agency. In order to better understand the transition to and practice of community policing, NIJ has funded longitudinal evaluations in a number of cities: Chicago, Illinois; Aurora and Joliet, Illinois; Tempe, Arizona; Madison, Wisconsin; and Dallas, Texas. NIJ is interested in expanding its portfolio of comprehensive process and impact evaluations. Evaluations funded under this section should provide a broad-based and comprehensive examination of the process of planning and implementation in a given agency, including (but not limited to) changes in recruitment, training, and performance evaluation; organizational and management policies and practices; problem-solving tactics and strategies; and the involvement of the department with the community and other agencies. Proposals should include information on departmental goals and objectives, community policing planning and design, implementation structures and stages, changes in the roles and responsibilities of management and line personnel, as well as information documenting police and community partnerships. Some awards for comprehensive community policing evaluations made under this solicitation may receive supplemental funding to ensure that long-term processes will be monitored and documented sufficiently and that outcomes will be measured effectively. (There is, however, no presumption of supplemental funding, and applicants to this solicitation must provide a fully-formed, self-contained research plan complete with final reports and other deliverables within the stated budget and timeline of the original proposal.) Applications under this section should include procedures to document the investment and implementation process of community policing in the department or agency being studied and should present plans to assess the effects of community policing on crime, fear, citizen involvement and satisfaction, quality of life issues, or other outcomes. It is expected that these longitudinal evaluations will examine a variety of community policing models implemented in various-sized communities, from large cities to rural areas. Geographic and ethnic/demographic differences are also of interest for these longitudinal evaluative efforts. Findings from these studies should have important and widespread implications for other jurisdictions desiring to initiate or improve community policing. NIJ anticipates supporting up to 5 awards totaling up to $1 million under this section. B. Multi-site Program Initiative Evaluations To a significant degree, the contours of community policing today are shaped by programmatic initiatives from Federal and other policy agencies. With the surge of funding made available under the Crime Act, program initiatives have underscored a range of topics and issues in policing while emphasizing a level of comparability of innovation across jurisdictions. For instance, the COPS Office has launched several important initiatives on issues such as domestic violence, gangs, youth violence, community policing training, and substance abuse. Since these initiatives have broad implications across many jurisdictions, they provide important opportunities for learning about recent developments in policing. In response, NIJ seeks applications for evaluating the processes, outcomes, and impacts of these multi-site programmatic initiatives. Applicants should demonstrate detailed familiarity with the programmatic initiative to be studied and should include evidence of strong support for the evaluation from those police agencies selected to participate in the evaluation. NIJ anticipates supporting up to 3 awards totaling up to $1 million under this section. II. Community Policing and Organizational Issues This section focuses on the impact of community policing on the organizational structure, operations, and procedures of policing agencies as well as the implications of these changes for the community. Changes in law enforcement philosophy and operational strategies can have a major effect on many facets of the police organization and the community it serves. The shift to community policing has caused many police managers and theorists to rethink how best to organize and structure police agencies for optimum and sustained effectiveness. Some of these changes involve reconsideration of long-held assumptions about appropriate command and supervisory structure; individual police roles; personnel selection and assignment techniques; ethnic and gender diversity; integrity and accountability; recruitment, training, and performance evaluation; and the management of work schedules, space, and staffing. NIJ is currently supporting research projects designed to describe the structural and management changes of departments engaged in community policing. Other research efforts are examining the changes in individual officer job roles, and several other studies are examining issues of police integrity. Many critical research questions warrant further examination, including: o Management Issues -- Examination of the effectiveness of different leadership styles; effective communication of mission, values and other central facets of community policing; and techniques to change the police subculture. o Structural Issues -- Research on the value and necessity of flattening rank levels, decentralizing command, altering operational relationships, or restructuring job tasks and functions; comparative studies of implementation approaches (e.g., split force vs. department-wide implementation, or other variations); and studies of community policing and its comparison to other organizational approaches including so-called "zero tolerance" strategies and crime analysis and accountability strategies such as NYPD's COMPSTAT process. o Accountability and Integrity Development Issues -- Examination of the means to develop accountability and integrity within the police organization or the subsystems within it; the development of model accountability and disciplinary systems to include ways to ensure community access to the police agency; and controls of abuses such as overtime excesses or use of excessive force. o Personnel Issues -- Personnel strategies that affect the quality of community policing, such as recruitment and hiring practices; Field Training Officer Program techniques; promotion and reward systems; EEO and other labor-management issues; and supervisory practices. Applicants should select an issue or a series of issues within one of the topic areas described above for their application, though thoughtful proposals on other organizational issues will also be considered. NIJ anticipates supporting up to 8 awards totaling up to $1 million under this section. III.--The Police and the Community Police departments and communities are increasingly viewed as co- producers of safety and public order. This view is based on the belief that community co-production of safety and public order is more effective than police departments acting alone. This section solicits research proposals addressing elements of the police-community partnership. In this section, NIJ seeks research proposals that fill the gap of knowledge regarding the types and degree of community participation and citizen awareness of community policing. In addition, research is needed assessing the degree to which communities desire a more extensive partnership with the police in problem solving and policing efforts. NIJ seeks to support studies addressing such topics as: o Community-police interaction issues related to victims of crime. Examinations of collaborative efforts between the police and other protective agencies, such as child protective services, are particularly welcomed. o Replications of observational studies examining police-citizen interactions. o Police-citizen interactions with specific populations (e.g., minority communities, youth, businesses, community groups). o The nature of police discretion in the context of community policing. o Collaborative problem solving between police, the community, and other organizations (e.g., child protective services, social services, community development corporations other criminal justice agencies). o The impact of varying styles of police supervision and leadership on police interactions with the community. o The interaction of community policing with political, economic, cultural and media organizations. o Collaboration efforts between community policing and other security enties, e.g. private security, school safety officers, tenant patrols or block watches. o NIJ encourages applicants to study these issues in a variety of jurisdictions and police agencies including those serving Indian country and rural communities. o NIJ anticipates supporting up to 8 awards totaling up to $1 million under this section. IV. Problem Solving Strategies and Tactics for Community Policing Police agencies implement a broad array of strategies and tactics to create and maintain safe communities. Under a community policing philosophy, police are often proactive and focused on crime prevention, yet they might utilize crime control strategies ranging from crime prevention and deterrence through intervention to suppression. Whatever strategy is employed, police agencies using a community policing/problem solving perspective rely heavily on scanning and analysis skills to craft solutions which can be monitored accurately and completely. NIJ encourages proposals to evaluate strategies, tactics, and programs commonly instituted by police officers and agencies against recurrent crime and disorderly conditions. Further, research designed to produce operationally useful information about the problems police commonly encounter is needed. Research on how disorder in a community is related in potentially complex ways to its crime level and economic conditions, and how fear of crime in a community is related in equally complex ways to both disorder and crime is also encouraged. NIJ is also interested in supporting research addressing police response to special community issues such as the homeless, the mentally ill, gangs, youth firearms violence, and family violence including child abuse and neglect. Research under this section can be expected to produce knowledge about the specific crime and disorder problem addressed. However, it is particularly important in a community policing and problem solving context that research generates knowledge across the range of discrete problems encompassed within categories such as youth violence, burglary, child abuse and neglect, or vandalism. Practical information of this kind is required by officers planning responses to the full range of crime and disorder problems that go beyond a specific problem arising in a single given setting. Strategies and tactics implemented by or involving police agencies to address crime and disorder problems may reflect the full range of crime prevention and control responses available to law enforcement. Efforts may range from a police-led after school program, family group conferencing initiative or use of civil remedies to respond to crime problems to joint police/probation follow-up of probation caseloads and other special initiatives to solve crimes committed by non-traditional criminal enterprises. Evaluations of these and other problem-solving initiatives taken in a community policing context are especially encouraged. NIJ strongly encourages evaluations of multisite demonstrations using experimental designs. NIJ anticipates supporting up to 8 awards totaling up to $1.5 million under this section. V. Locally-Initiated Research Partnerships This solicitation marks the fourth and final year that NIJ will solicit applications for locally initiated partnership grants. Increasingly, due in part to the strategic investments made in earlier years by NIJ and the COPS Office emphasizing the need for locally coordinated researcher- practitioner partnerships in community policing, these partnerships have become a routine component in a wide range of programmatic and research initiatives in policing. NIJ will consider for funding under this section only those partnerships that were initiated under the LIRP section in previous years but have not received a second award for continuation of the partnership activities. NIJ anticipates supporting no more than five awards totaling up to $500,000 under this section of the solicitation. VI. The Impact of Technology on Policing Technological advances have caused some of the greatest changes in American policing. From the advent of radio-dispatched patrol cars to the widespread use of desktop computers for crime mapping and analyses, the face of policing is forever changing in response to technological innovations. In addition to being supplied a uniform, weapon, radio, and patrol car, many of today's officers are being provided laptop computers, dashboard-mounted video cameras, and an assortment of less-than-lethal weapons. Similar technological advances are taking place at police stations (e.g., digital fingerprinting, automated booking systems, and information systems) and in the community (e.g., video surveillance cameras and audio gunshot detection). These technological advances, though, do not come without individual and organizational investments and other consequences. For example, previously essential skills may quickly become outdated and additional hours of training may be required for officers to become proficient with the newly acquired technology. Alternatively, some technologies may require the collaboration of the community and the police agency for successful implementation and use. NIJ wishes to examine the social, organizational, and behavioral implications of technology in the context of community policing. Understanding the infusion, transfer, and impact of technology on police officers, managers, the organization and community is critically important in determining the future directions of technology development and its utilization. The effect of technology on the increased merging of functions, interactions and the needs of the police has been only infrequently examined. A. Assessing the Impact of Technology NIJ seeks to fund studies examining the impact of technologies currently being used (or soon to be adopted and implemented) in community policing agencies. Neither the purchase of equipment nor the development of new technologies will be supported with funding from this solicitation Agencies seeking support for technology development may wish to consult with NIJ's Office of Science and Technology. Examples of topics that may be addressed include: o Examinations of new technologies affecting the police-community co- production of public safety, e.g., information transfer capabilities, weapons detection technologies. o Advances in crime mapping and spatial analyses. o The dynamics of selecting and implementing technology and its infusion within police agencies. o The behavioral, operational and organizational consequences of technology. Proposals should include plans to assess the process of technology selection, the impact of technology on the organizational culture of the agency, the role of technology in changing and shaping the roles and patterns of interaction within the agency, and the impact of technology on police-community relationships. B. Developing Predictive Models NIJ also seeks proposals to develop predictive models for use by law enforcement to identify emerging 'hot spots' of crime and disorder, as well as 'cold spots' representing areas where crime is declining. It is expected that the development of these models will be guided by a thorough review of the literature on predictors of crime and disorder, environmental design factors, and communities and crime research. An extensive exploration of potential indicators outside the criminal justice discipline would also be appropriate. In recent years, crime mapping has emerged as an important tool in law enforcement agencies efforts to scan for problems and assess what are often community/police collaborative responses to those problems. Ideally, early indicators of troubled areas identify patterns of crimes committed across time and space and inform proactive approaches to problem solving. Early warning systems necessitate predictive models that identify 'hot spots' of crime and disorder, as well as areas where crime is abating. Research that aims to develop such predictive models is encouraged. The predictive models developed may draw on spatial regression analysis, environmental modeling, neural network analysis, or any other sound predictive method, but should have the capability of being displayed within a Geographic Information System (GIS). Successful applicants will represent partnerships between researchers and law enforcement or other criminal justice agencies. NIJ anticipates supporting up to 5 awards totaling up to $1 million under this section. VII. Measuring What Matters Since the inception of its research and evaluation program on community policing, NIJ has maintained a keen interest in fostering research that addresses fundamental issues of measurement, research design, and outcome assessment. Through a three-part symposium, NIJ and the COPS Office sponsored a national discussion about what inputs and outcomes were of greatest importance in community policing and how research and evaluation might best measure these critical elements through innovative designs and measurement strategies. Currently, NIJ is supporting innovative research on the measurement of crime displacement and the diffusion of police crime prevention activities, an assessment in three departments of the use of computer-aided dispatch within a community policing context, and several other studies focused on developing and refining the measurement of the many dimensions of community policing. Under this section, research proposals are encouraged that address any of the following considerations: o Improving the assessment of the community inputs to community policing (e.g., the subjective sense of a community, community demand for service). o Improved measures of policing processes (e.g., how best to measure a department's progress toward implementing community policing, measuring police activities and resource allocation, organizational health of the agency). o Measuring more accurately the outputs of policing (e.g., community satisfaction, quality and results of policing services, community access to police, police integrity). o Innovative data collection techniques in support of research and evaluation on issues of community policing. NIJ anticipates supporting up to 5 awards totaling up to $1 million under this section. VIII.--How to Apply Those interested in submitting proposals in response to this solicitation must complete the required application forms and submit related required documents. (See below for how to obtain application forms and guides for completing proposals.) Applicants must include the following information/forms to quality for consideration: o Standard Form (SF) 424--application for Federal assistance o Assurances o Certifications Regarding Lobbying, Debarment, Suspension and Other Responsibility Matters; and Drug-Free Workplace Requirements (one form) o Disclosure of Lobbying Activities o Budget Detail Worksheet o Budget Narrative o Negotiated indirect rate agreement (if appropriate) o Names and affiliations of all key persons from applicant and subcontractor(s), advisors, consultants, and advisory board members. Include name of principal investigator, title, organizational affiliation (if any), department (if institution of higher education), address, phone, and fax o Proposal abstract o Table of contents o Program narrative or technical proposal o Privacy certificate o References o Letters of cooperation from organizations collaborating in the research project o Resumes and curriculum vitae o Appendixes, if any (e.g., list of previous NIJ awards, their status, and products [in NIJ or other publications]) Proposal abstract. The proposal abstract, when read separately from the rest of the application, is meant to serve as a succinct and accurate description of the proposed work. Applicants must concisely describe the research goals and objectives, research design, and methods for achieving the goals and objectives. Summaries of past accomplishments are to be avoided, and proprietary/confidential information is not to be included. Length is not to exceed 400 words. Use the following two headers: ---Project Goals and Objectives: ---Proposed Research Design and Methodology: Page limit. The number of pages in the "Program Narrative" part of the proposal must not exceed 30 double-spaced pages. Due date. Completed proposals must be received at the National Institute of Justice by the close of business on July 20, 1998. Extensions of this deadline will not be permitted. Award period. In general, NIJ limits its grants and cooperative agreements to a maximum period of 24 months. However, longer budget periods may be considered. Applying. Two packets need to be obtained: (1) application forms (including a sample budget worksheet) and (2) guidelines for submitting proposals (including requirements for proposal writers and requirements for grant recipients). To receive them, applicants can: o Access the Justice Information Center on the web: http://www.ncjrs.org/fedgrant.htm#NIJ or the NIJ web site: http://www.ojp.usdoj.gov/NIJ/funding.htm These web sites offer the NIJ application forms and guidelines as electronic files that may be downloaded to a personal computer. o Request hard copies of the forms and guidelines by mail from the National Criminal Justice Reference Service at 800-851-3420 or from the Department of Justice Response Center at 800-421-6770 (in the Washington, D.C., area, at 202-307-1480). o Request copies by fax. Call 800-851-3420 and select option 1, then option 1 again for NIJ. Code is 1023. Guidance and information. Applicants who wish to receive additional guidance and information may contact the U.S. Department of Justice Response Center at 800-421-6770. Center staff can provide assistance or refer applicants to an appropriate NIJ professional. Applicants may, for example, wish to discuss their prospective research topics with the NIJ professional staff. Send completed forms to: Policing Research and Evaluation 1998 Solicitation Section _____ National Institute of Justice 810 Seventh Street N.W. Washington, DC 20531 (Overnight courier and other parcel delivery services will need to use ZIP code 20001.) ------------------------------- For more information on the National Institute of Justice, please contact: National Criminal Justice Reference Service Box 6000 Rockville, MD 20849-6000 800-851-3420 e-mail: askncjrs@ncjrs.org You can view or obtain an electronic version of this document from the NCJRS Justice Information Center web site (http://www.ncjrs.org) or the NIJ web site (http://www.ojp.usdoj.gov/nij). If you have any questions, call or e-mail NCJRS. -------------------------------