NCJ Number
224993
Date Published
2008
Length
61 pages
Annotation
This second volume of a three-volume guide on “Enhancing Law Enforcement Response to Victims” consists of four sections that outline the steps for implementing the strategy proposed by the International Association of Chiefs of Police.
Abstract
This “Implementation Guide” instructs law enforcement agencies in how to identify their goals and measure success in serving crime victims, collect pertinent information, develop action plans and performance-monitoring approaches, and sustain the effort over the long term. The guide’s first section, “Starting,” outlines the first steps in implementing an enhanced response to victims. This involves creating an infrastructure for managing the initiative and laying the groundwork for success. The guidance focuses on how to maximize leadership, map out the agency’s plan, establish goals, and measure progress. The second section, “Charting,” instructs agencies in how to development a structure for assessing their response to crime victims. It focuses on how to obtain outside resources for guidance in determining the kinds of baseline information needed, best ways to gather this data, and how to interpret it. The third section, “Implementing,” explains what to do after identifying current gaps in the agency’s response to crime victims. The next step is to develop an action plan that uses strategies suited to the agency. This section provides guidance in how to obtain support for the action plan from agency personnel and the community. The concluding section, “Sustaining and Expanding,” focuses on identifying and celebrating successes and fine-tuning the program in order to maintain and, when necessary, correct and improve weak portions of the effort. The guide also contains a section with frequently asked questions and listings of pilot sites and validation sites.