COPS Office: CP-SAT CHRP

Untitled Document

2009 COPS Hiring Recovery Program (CHRP)

The Community Policing Self-Assessment Tool (CP-SAT) is an online survey that helps you measure your agency's progress in implementing community policing. The COPS Office is underwriting the cost and is pleased to provide this resource to our COPS Hiring Recovery Program (CHRP) grantees free of charge. CP-SAT confidentially captures information about community partnerships, problem solving, and organizational impact. Agencies will receive an easy-to-use automated report that summarizes their data so agency management can identify the community policing strengths and areas for improvement.

Introduction
CP-SAT Modules
Description of CP-SAT Short Form
Benefits
Process for Participation: Overall Steps
Contact Information
CP-SAT FAQs

Introduction

The CP-SAT is available on a voluntary basis to 2009 COPS Hiring Recovery Program (CHRP) grantees. We encourage all 2009 CHRP grantees to take advantage of this opportunity to administer the CP-SAT to their agency at no charge. This survey is intended to be a useful management tool for your agency and will not negatively impact your grant or future funding opportunities with the COPS Office. This survey captures overall community policing efforts and does not assess an agency's community policing implementation under a specific grant. It is also different from the progress reports required for your COPS hiring grant(s).

If you are a 2011 COPS Hiring Program (CHP) grantee looking for information on the CP-SAT, please refer to the CHP CP-SAT page. If you are both a 2009 CHRP grantee and a 2011 CHP grantee, please refer to FAQ #13. If you are a 2010 COPS Hiring Program grantee or a non-grantee agency who is looking to implement the CP-SAT, the online version of the CP-SAT is currently not available to you, however, we are exploring options that would make the CP-SAT available. Please refer to FAQ #2.

Purpose of CP-SAT: This assessment allows agencies to measure the extent to which community policing has been implemented within their agency.

Background of CP-SAT: This tool was developed with significant input from community policing experts and practitioners and was designed to meet scientific standards for rigor, while also being user-friendly. This tool was created based on over five years of work by COPS, ICF International, and Police Executive Research Forum and has been administered in agencies across the country. The tool is currently being administered by ICF International on behalf of the COPS Office.

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CP-SAT Modules

The CP-SAT will measure the three key components of community policing:

Community Partnerships. Collaborative partnerships between the law enforcement agency and the individuals and organizations they serve to develop solutions to problems and increase trust in police.

Problem Solving. The process of engaging in the proactive and systematic examination of identified problems to develop effective responses that are evaluated rigorously. This module is based on the SARA model (i.e., Scanning, Analysis, Response, Assessment).

Organizational Transformation. The alignment of organizational management, structure, personnel, and information systems to support community partnerships and proactive problem solving.

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Description of CP-SAT Short Form

Estimated to take approximately 15 minutes per participant.
Completed by sworn staff at all levels, civilian staff who work on community partnerships and/or problem solving, and representatives from community partners who are knowledgeable about the agency and how it interacts with partners.
Includes questions tailored for different agency stakeholder types (e.g., patrol officers, command staff, community partners*)
* Community Partners include individuals/organizations who have formally agreed to work together in the pursuit of common goals. Community partnerships involve a two-way relationship that involves collaboration, shared power, and shared decision-making with the law enforcement agency.

NOTE: For a more in-depth assessment of community policing efforts, the CP-SAT Original Form is also available at this time. This version provides a more detailed report of community policing activities, but requires additional coordination and personnel time to complete the assessment. Contact CPSAT@icfsurveys.com for more information.

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Benefits

The CP-SAT Short Form allows agencies to measure the extent to which community policing has been implemented in various units and ranks within their agency.
Agencies will receive an automated report, which summarizes their results in a user-friendly format. Click here for an excerpt from an example report.
Agencies will be able to enhance community policing efforts through the identification of community policing strengths and areas for improvement.
The CP-SAT results can help support strategic planning, identify a list of training needs, and promote the agency's community policing successes to the public and governing officials.

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Process for Participation: Overall Steps

Step 1: Agency selects a key contact. This person will be in charge of coordinating the administration with ICF.

Step 2: Key contact emails or calls ICF (CPSAT@icfsurveys.com or 877.99.CPSAT) to start the CP-SAT process and schedule an administration date.

Step 3: Agency key contact:

Finalizes survey invitation and reminder email language. Click here for examples of email language. Feel free to use this email language or tailor it to your needs.

Compiles email list of sworn staff at all levels, civilian staff who work on community partnerships and/or problem solving, and representatives from community partner organizations who are knowledgeable about the agency and how it interacts with partners and the community.

Step 4: Agency key contact emails survey invitation and two survey reminders to staff and community partners on specified dates.

Administration start date: Email survey invitation.
1 week after start date: Email reminder 1.
2 weeks after start date: Email reminder 2.

Step 5: ICF tracks response rate and notifies agencies with low response rate after two weeks of administration.

Step 6: After the three-week administration period ends, ICF generates a summary report and emails the report to agency key contact.

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Contact Information

Email or call ICF at CPSAT@icfsurveys.com or 877.99.CPSAT (877.992.7728) with any questions.

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COPS CP-SAT FAQ's

What is the CP-SAT?
The Community Policing Self-Assessment Tool (CP-SAT) was developed by the COPS Office, ICF International, and the Police Executive Research Forum. This tool was created to provide agencies with the ability to measure the extent to which they have implemented Community Policing initiatives and provide them direction with areas that they can develop.

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Who is eligible to use the CP-SAT?
Currently, the CP-SAT is only available to 2009 CHRP grantees on a voluntary basis and is a mandatory requirement for 2011 CHP grantees. If you are a 2010 CHP grantee or a non-grantee agency that is looking to implement the CP-SAT, we are currently exploring options and you may contact the COPS Response Center at askCopsRC@usdoj.gov for a status update.
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How many times can my agency participate in the CP-SAT?
All 2009 CHRP grantees have the opportunity to administer the CP-SAT up to two times in their agencies, although each administration is entirely optional.

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Who completes the CP-SAT?
The survey is completed by sworn staff at all levels, civilian staff who work on community partnerships and/or problem solving, and representatives from community partner organizations who are knowledgeable about the agency and how it interacts with partners and the community.

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Which community partners should be included?
Community partnerships involve collaboration, shared power, and shared decision-making with the law enforcement agency. While partners and relationships in the community can take many forms, for this assessment, it is best to include individuals/organizations who have formally agreed to work together in the pursuit of common goals. The community partner portion of the assessment asks questions such as:
- How much does the law enforcement agency collaborate in developing shared goals for problem-solving efforts with your organization?
- To what degree does the law enforcement agency provide sufficient resources (e.g., financial, staff time, personnel, equipment, political, and/or managerial support) to support the work of your partnership?
- To what extent does the law enforcement agency develop relationships with community members (e.g., residents, organizations, and groups)?

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As a participant completing the survey, which staff type should I select in the first question of the CP-SAT?
• Line officer -- you hold a non-supervisory position in the agency.
• First line supervisor/Middle management -- you hold a supervisory position in the agency.
• Command staff -- you hold one of the top positions in your agency (e.g., chief).
• Civilian staff -- you are a non-sworn staff member of the police agency.
• Community partner -- you do not work for the police agency, but have formally agreed to work in a partnership with the agency in the pursuit of common goals.

If you do not work for the police agency, please select "Community partner." A community partner is an individual who has, or works for an organization that has, formally agreed to work in a partnership with a law enforcement agency in the pursuit of common goals. Community partnerships involve a two-way relationship that involves collaboration, shared power, and shared decision-making with the law enforcement agency (e.g., media, business owner, city employee in Public Works department).

If you are a volunteer for the police agency who provides support services to the agency without monetary benefit, please select "Civilian." Services a volunteer performs typically include community outreach, telephone work, research, and other administrative tasks.

If you are a detective or a member of a special operations unit (e.g., gang unit, SWAT, school resource officer), please select the level of sworn staff that best fits with your level in the agency. For example, please select "First-line supervisor/Middle management" if you are a supervisor, but select "Line officer" if you have a non-supervisory position in your unit.

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Is the CP-SAT offered in any languages other than English?
In addition to English, the COPS Office currently offers a Spanish language version of the CP-SAT Short Form for each agency's community partners.* Spanish language versions of the survey are not available for other participants, such as patrol officers, command staff, and civilian staff. Your agency's key contact can simply notify ICF which community partners would prefer to use the Spanish version of the survey, and ICF will distribute this version of the survey to those participants. These partners will also receive the survey distribution and reminder emails in Spanish. For each agency, results from the Spanish language survey will be combined with the results of the English language survey in order to preserve participant confidentiality and to fully report on all data collected.
* Community Partners include individuals/organizations who have formally agreed to work together in the pursuit of common goals. Community partnerships involve a two-way relationship that involves collaboration, shared power, and shared decision-making with the law enforcement agency.

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How long does the survey take to complete?
The survey takes approximately 15 minutes to complete per respondent.

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Are all responses kept confidential?
Responses to this survey will be kept confidential to the extent provided by law. There are no individual identifiers in the data that the agency will receive, and the agency will not be able to link an individual's data to their email address.

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Who sees my agency's results?
In order to produce a reliable and valid sample size, ICF International recommends that if you are an agency of 1,000 or fewer sworn officers, that everyone in the agency be invited to participate in the survey. Under CHRP, if your agency has 1,000 or more sworn officers, it is recommended that a minimum of 25 percent of the actual sworn force across a range of rank, shift, function, and geographical units be invited to participate. If you need additional assistance, please contact ICF International.

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Who administers the survey?
Each agency selects a key contact who will administer the CP-SAT Short Form to participants, including sending the initial survey invitation and at least two reminder emails. The key contact will not have access to a participant's survey responses. ICF International will provide instructions and all survey materials to the agency prior to their assigned administration date. ICF will also track survey response rate and prepare and send the automated report to each agency.

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What type of report will my agency receive upon completing the CP-SAT?
Each participating agency will receive an automated report, which summarizes their results in a user-friendly format. Although the report does not interpret the data collected, it allows the agency to assess the extent to which community policing has been implemented across various aspects of community policing and among units and ranks. Through the identification of community policing strengths and areas for improvement, your agency will be able to enhance its community policing efforts. Click here for an excerpt from an example report. In addition to the exhibits included in the example report, each agency will be provided descriptive statistics (e.g., number of responses, mean, standard deviation) for each item on the CP-SAT Short Form to further aid in report interpretation and strategic decision making.

Agencies electing to participate in the CP-SAT process a second time (see FAQ #3) will receive a report that displays their scores for both administrations (i.e., pre/post) to document changes in community policing activities over time.
As a part of the 2011 COPS Hiring Program (CHP) grant, it is mandatory that all CHP grantees administer the Community Policing Self-Assessment Tool (CP-SAT) Short Form in their agencies. Please refer to the CHP CP-SAT page for more information.

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Who sees my agency's results?
The final report will be provided to the chief executive of the law enforcement agency. The executive will determine how the report is distributed in his or her agency. To maximize the benefit of the CP-SAT, we encourage you to share the results with your organization and community partners in order to congratulate them on the successes and identify strategies to enhance your delivery of community policing.
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How can the COPS Office support my agency in areas of community policing that need improvement?
Your agency may contact the COPS Office Response Center at 800.421.6770 or email at askCOPSRC@usdoj.gov if the assessment results show the agency is low in an area of community policing. The COPS Office is well-equipped to provide your agency with various resources (e.g., knowledge products, toolkits, and/or training opportunities). Additionally, you can visit this www.cops.usdoj.gov/Default.asp?Item=2589 for a set of helpful community policing resources.

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What if I am a 2011 COPS Hiring Program grantee looking for information on the CP-SAT?
As a part of the 2011 COPS Hiring Program (CHP) Grant, it is mandatory that all CHP grantees administer the Community Policing Self-Assessment Tool (CP-SAT) Short Form in their agencies. Please refer to the CHP CP-SAT page for more information.

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What if I am both a 2009 CHRP Grant recipient and a 2011 CHP Grant recipient?
As a grant recipient in both years, it is elective to participate in the CP-SAT as a 2009 CHRP Grant recipient; however, it is a grant requirement through the 2011 CHP award. Therefore, you must participate in the CP-SAT. The unique difference for you is as follows:
• As a 2009 CHRP grantee, you have the option to conduct a second round in a pre-post type scenario. As a 2011 CHP grantee, you are required to take a pre-post assessment.