The International Association of Directors of Law Enforcement Standards and Training (IADLEST) is pleased to announce that it is accepting applications for funding for the State Law Enforcement Agency Accreditation Program Enhancements Program. This project is made possible through Award Number 2020CKWXK055 by the U.S. Department of Justice, Office of Community Oriented Policing Services (COPS Office) FY 2020 Community Policing Development (CPD) program. The funds are to be used to advance the certification of state and local law enforcement agencies to comply with the Presidential Executive Order 13929.
In this project, IADLEST may award mini-grants to existing state-level organizations that have an established law enforcement accreditation program. Awards will be made to provide additional resources to accreditation bodies in order to certify specific law enforcement agencies in their respective state meet the two criteria specified in the Presidential Executive Order 13929 by the January 31st deadline. In addition, IADLEST may award mini-grants to state-level organizations that do not currently have accrediting bodies for the purpose of creating a certification program for approved independent credentialing bodies within the state.
List of DOJ Approved Credentialing Bodies
Applications should be sent to IADLEST by the close of business on Monday, November 16, 2020 and the recipients should plan to expend all awards within one year of the date of the award.
Overview
In the face of increased public expectations and scrutiny, the challenges for modern law enforcement agencies to gain and retain public trust are significant. Objective independent assessment and validation of policies, procedures and operations provide a method for law enforcement agencies to compare their practices against best practices elsewhere. Currently, there are approximately 36 states that have a functioning state law enforcement accreditation program. These accreditation programs are typically non-profit consortiums comprised of the executive law enforcement associations. Most of the accreditation programs operate on thin margins to just cover their costs in order to keep accreditation fees as low as possible for the stakeholders. Consequently, enhancements to state law enforcement agency accreditation programs are often difficult. To maintain credibility and public trust, accreditation standards should be available, accessible, and relevant to today’s policing environment.
Through Presidential Executive Order 13929, the U.S. Attorney General, as appropriate and consistent with applicable law, will allocate Department of Justice discretionary grant funding only to state, local, and university or college law enforcement agencies that have obtained (or are in the process of seeking) credentials certifying that they meet certain mandatory and discretionary standards for safe policing, to be set by the U.S. Attorney General.
The U.S. Attorney General has released a guidance document titled Standards for Certification on Safe Policing for Safe Communities to inform law enforcement agencies and credentialing bodies of these requirements. The guidance document is available online at Executive Order on Safe Policing for Safe Communities.
Goals and Objectives
Within the guidance document, there are two Safe Policing Principles that Independent Credentialing Bodies Must Consider When Assessing Certification of Applying Law Enforcement Agencies:
1. Adherence to Applicable Laws: The applying agency maintains use of force policies that adhere to all applicable federal, state, and local laws.
2. Prohibition of Choke Holds: The applying agency maintains use of force policies that prohibit the use of choke holds, except in situations where the use of deadly force is allowed by law.
These principles are required. In addition, there are specific requirements related to data collection and reporting by the credentialing bodies.
Within the guidance document, there are also additional Safe Policing Principles that Independent Credentialing Bodies Should Consider When Assessing Certification of Applying Law Enforcement Agencies. Note that the following principles are not required for agencies to be certified as eligible for DOJ funding, however, certifying bodies may consider them in conducting their own work. While these principles are not required, credentialing agencies should consider whether the applying agency incorporates the following safe policing principles within its policies and procedures:
Use of Force and De-escalation Techniques
• Termination of Use of Force Policies
• Duty to Intervene Policies
• Training Protocols on Use of Force and De-Escalation
• Appropriate Medical Care Policies
• Warn Before Shooting Policies
• Shooting at or from a Moving Vehicle Policies
• Warning Shots Policies
• No-Knock Warrant Policies
Performance Management Tools
• Early Intervention Systems policies, procedures, and training protocols
• Hiring of Personnel policies, procedures, and training protocols
Community Engagement
• Community engagement plans that address the particular needs of the community
Deliverables
The primary required deliverable shall be a process for certifying law enforcement agency compliance with the two requirements outlined in the Goals and Objectives. If an award recipient chooses to also certify agencies on the optional policies and procedures, the recipient should include procedures in the primary deliverable. Certification of law enforcement agencies should not be delayed or hindered if award recipients chooses to track optional policies and procedures. The second required deliverable is evidence of certifying agencies by providing a list of agencies certified to IADLEST and the COPS Office by January 31, 2021. The third required deliverable will be monthly reporting on progress and spending.
Funding
Up to $10,000.00 per mini-grant based on availability of funds. Funds may be requested to cover labor costs, office supplies, printing, software, information technology support, marketing and other approved expenses. Without prior authorization from IADLEST, funds may not be requested for technical assistance or training.
Eligibility
This solicitation is open to state-specific public governmental agencies and nonprofit organizations that are currently engaged in the accreditation/certification of local, county and state law enforcement agencies. A list of eligible agencies is attached to this solicitation.
Proposals should be responsive to the topic, significantly advance the capacity of the organization to engage in accreditation/certification of law enforcement agencies and demonstrate an understanding of accreditation/certification as it pertains to the solicitation.
All awards are subject to the availability of appropriated funds and any modifications or additional requirements that may be imposed by law.
How to Apply
The Application Package includes:
• Attachment A: Statement of Work
• Attachment B: Budget Template
• Attachment C: Letter of Commitment
Deadline
The Application Package must be emailed to Mark Damitio, Program Manager at markdamitio@iadlest.org no later than 5:00 PM EDT on November 16, 2020. The email heading must include “State Law Enforcement Agency Accreditation Program Enhancements Program Grant Application – [insert organization name]”.
Contact Information
For programmatic assistance with the requirements of this program or with submitting the application, please call Mark Damitio, Program Manager at (208) 288-5491 Ext. 104, or send an email to markdamitio@iadlest.org. IADLEST operates Monday through Friday, 9:00 a.m. to 5:00 p.m. MT, except on federal holidays.