Projects and initiatives
Facilitating community and police relationships
Joint Community Police Partnership (JCPP) works to enhance communication and understanding between diverse communities and law enforcement.
Hennepin County liaisons embedded in partner cities facilitate conversation between residents and law enforcement, which leads to stronger relationships, increased trust, and mutual understanding. These relationships ultimately improve the safety and livability of our communities. Our work includes:
- Elevating the voice of the community in relationship with police
- Supporting police departments’ efforts to understand and reflect their communities
- Educating residents about law enforcement activities
- Facilitating positive community-police interactions
Current partner cities are Bloomington, Brooklyn Center, Brooklyn Park, Crystal, Edina, Hopkins, New Hope, Richfield, and Robbinsdale.
Elevating community voice
Hennepin County works with cities and residents to address complex issues in their communities.
JCPP liaisons: A bridge between communities and police departments
Joint Community Police Partnership liaisons are Hennepin County employees who are embedded in police departments. Each liaison tailors programming to their specific community. Liaisons collaborates with Hennepin County, police departments and residents.
Together with these partners, liaisons:
- Meet with community members to listen, learn, and build relationships
- Bring community concerns to the police department
- Plan and support community engagement events
- Provide training to respond to the needs of the community
- Educate the community on changes and trends in law enforcement
Multicultural Advisory Committee: A space for important conversations
The members of the Multicultural Advisory Committee (MAC) are community leaders who live, work or worship in the community. They meet monthly with their respective city’s JCPP liaison and police department to ensure both the community and the department are aware of concerns, topics and trends. Additionally, several departments have used their MAC to solicit input on complex issues.
Get involved
- Be a part of the conversation. Apply to serve as a member on the Multicultural Advisory Committee (MAC).
- Share your experiences and ideas with your community liaison or a MAC member.
- Invite your neighbors, friends, family and others to learn more about JCPP, and about what services their liaison can offer.
Reflecting our communities
JCPP works with departments to support efforts to diversify police staffing. Participation varies from department to department, but can include:
- Youth-specific vocational programming
- Hiring and onboarding supports
- Ongoing training in collaboration with police departments
- Making connections with residents at community events, such as Night to Unite or National Night Out and Unity in the Community
Get involved
- Ask your department about opportunities for youth
- Attend a community event
- Introduce yourself to a liaison, a MAC member or a police officer
Educating residents
JCPP has a role in engaging community members in conversations about changes in police policies and practices, by:
- Providing information, trainings and public forums to address misperceptions and misconceptions about law enforcement
- Building trust by creating an environment where relationships and interactions can result in meaningful action
- Addressing current trends and topics that residents or police want to discuss
Get involved
- Host a community meeting or Q&A session with a liaison or police officers
Facilitating positive interactions
JCPP engages in focused outreach to encourage connections between residents, organizations and police departments, in the spaces that are meaningful to them. Those can include:
- Facilitating events for youth, families and community groups
- Increasing police, liaison and MAC presence in the community to seek out and listen to people’s concerns
Get involved
- Coordinate or volunteer for community programs.
- Host a community meeting or question-answer session with police officers.
Learn about partner communities and find your liaison
Click on the links below to learn more about what JCPP looks like in each participating city.
Start a conversation
- Talk with neighbors, co-workers and friends about what is going well or not going well in relationships between law enforcement and the community.
- Think about how much you would like to be involved; your contributions can range from talking with community members to being present at events or participating in the MAC.
- Contact your community liaison to talk about how you can help.