This report outlines the vision, objectives, and partnerships of the U.S. Justice Department’s Office for Victims of Crime’s (OVC’s) “Vision 21: Law Enforcement and the Communities They Serve: Supporting Collective Healing in the Wake of Harm,” which is a component of OVC’s broad effort initiated in 2013 to expand the vision and impact of the crime victim assistance field.
The vision of the law enforcement component of this effort is to help communities develop both a preventive and a reparative focus in addressing the needs of crime victims by reducing tensions, maximizing communication, and promoting problemsolving in law enforcement agencies’ interactions with crime victims. OVC’s two objectives of the law enforcement component are 1) to assist law enforcement in developing, implementing, and assessing comprehensive evidence-based and trauma-informed response strategies, protocols, and interventions that promote community engagement and healing before and after law-enforcement-involved shootings and other high-profile violent incidents; and 2) develop and disseminate comprehensive, expert technical assistance resources for law enforcement personnel on trauma-informed culture and practice. In fulfilling these objectives, OVC will facilitate partnerships among the International Association of Chiefs of Police (IACP), the National Association for the Advancement of Colored People (NAACP), and the Childhood Violent Trauma Center at the Yale School of Medicine. This collaborative effort will establish up to six demonstration sites that will assess and address community needs, policy development and implementation, and internal culture and accountability. This effort will also recruit and train a Rapid Response Team that will assist law enforcement agencies and communities in the wake of crisis incidents.
