U.S. Department of Justice’s COPS Office to provide technical assistance to Pasco Police Department

PASCO, WASHINGTON – In response to a request for assistance from United States Attorney Michael C. Ormsby and Pasco Police Chief Robert Metzger, the Office of Community Oriented Policing Services today announced it will offer technical assistance and training to the Pasco Police Department.

"The lack of trust between the community and the police is at the core of much tension and unrest throughout the nation. The recent tragic shooting of Antonio Zambrano-Montes in Pasco has brought that fact to light and reveals the need for the Pasco Police Department to enhance its community policing efforts," said COPS Office Director Ronald Davis. "It is absolutely critical that the police department do all it can to strengthen police and community relations and rebuild the community’s trust. I applaud Pasco Police Chief Metzger for his leadership in taking this necessary step."

"To be successful, any community oriented policing program must be grounded on trust and communication," said Michael C. Ormsby, United States Attorney for the Eastern District of Washington. "The steps initiated by the COPS program today are important tools to strengthen and enhance trust and communication between the community and the police department. Without a doubt, establishing and maintaining a safe community is the overarching goal of this, and every, community oriented policing program."

Through its Critical Response Technical Assistance program, the COPS Office will work with the Pasco Police Department over the next 12 months, and provide training in community policing and problem-solving, fair and impartial policing and procedural justice. Using a peer-to-peer support and exchange program, the COPS Office will also connect the police department with top law enforcement leaders and subject matter experts in the field to learn the best practices in community policing and crime reduction.

The Critical Response Technical Assistance initiative is a grant program within the COPS Office that is designed to provide immediate assistance to agencies facing crisis. CR-TA has been deployed in jurisdictions such as Ferguson, Mo., Detroit, Mich., Seattle, Wash., New Orleans, La. and San Diego, Calif.

The COPS Office, headed by Director Ronald Davis, is a federal agency responsible for advancing community policing nationwide. Since 1995, COPS has awarded more than $14 billion to advance community policing, including grants awarded to more than 13,000 state, local, and tribal law enforcement agencies to fund the hiring and redeployment of more than 126,000 officers and provide a variety of knowledge resource products including publications, training, and technical assistance. For additional information about COPS, please visit www.cops.usdoj.gov.