Over a decade ago—and as a response to past police brutality incidents, racial profiling, and stop-and-frisk practices directly effecting people and communities of color—PolicyLink published various reports focused on community-centered policing strategies for advocates and organizers.

In light of recent events across the nation, particularly in Ferguson, MO, we thought it would be a good idea to resurface some of our past materials on this very issue with the intention that these resources will  support advocates as they continue to find solutions to bridge divisions and build relationships between police departments and the communities that they serve.

Organized for Change: The Activists Guide to Police Reform, contains strategies to help advocates move their police departments closer to a vision of community-centered policing.

Community- Centered Policing: A Force for Change discusses promising, community-centered police practices implemented throughout the country: practices that are opening police departments to traditionally underrepresented communities; engaging communities as partners in solving neighborhood problems; and making police departments more accountable to the communities they serve and protect.

From Protest to Proposal: A Police-Community Relations Forum highlights proceedings from a convening held in Cincinnati to discuss promising police practices in cities across the nation and to explore possible application locally.  The goal was to bring together a diverse group of stakeholders to explore strategies for improving community-police relations; develop a shared understanding of community-centered police practices; and to develop an action agenda grounded in the experience of local communities and police departments that have achieved some measure of success in addressing similar conditions.