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Letter from the Director of the COPS Office <br />Colleagues: <br />As you know, civilian oversight of law enforcement agencies is nothing new. In fact, agencies have always <br />been accountable to the communities they serve. Moreover, additional oversight boards have existed <br />in various forms since the 1950s. While not present everywhere, according to Liana Perez, director of the <br />National Association for Civilian Oversight of Law Enforcement, there are now more than 200 oversight <br />boards across the nation. <br />However, like any local law enforcement initiative, civilian oversight takes different forms in different <br />jurisdictions. Many agencies exploring options for their own communities often ask what others are doing <br />to inform their own decision making. To assist those agencies who want to know how civilian oversight is <br />working in communities across the nation, the COPS Office awarded funding to the Major Cities Chiefs <br />Association (MCCA) to survey its members and hold a round table to discuss the results. <br />The round table participants, who represented 21 agencies in Canada as well as the United States, talked <br />about how civilian oversight worked in their own communities. They described the objectives of their <br />oversight programs and debated their advantages, challenges, and effectiveness, calling attention to issues <br />they felt were especially important for their peers to know. <br />On behalf of the COPS Office, I thank the MCCA and its members who responded to the survey, as well <br />as the 21 round table participants, all of whom generously gave of their time and forthrightly expressed <br />their opinions. Our thanks also go out to the National Law Enforcement Memorial Fund, which hosted the <br />meeting. <br />This report provides an overview of the existing landscape in local oversight. It is important to share this with <br />the field as law enforcement agencies throughout the nation work to continue to build and maintain trust, <br />ensure the quality of the services they deliver, and enhance their mechanisms for local accountability and <br />control that are so important to effectively policing our nation's many and varied communities. The COPS <br />Office is proud to be able to support local agencies in making informed decisions for their communities. <br />Sincerely, <br />Phil Keith <br />Director <br />Office of Community Oriented Policing Services <br />65A-12 <br />