And as the administration tries to balance its promises to address police misconduct with supporting law enforcement amid an increase in violent crime in some cities, the Justice Department has emerged as a key figure.
The agency is investigating police departments in cities such as Minneapolis and Louisville, Ky. At the same time, it was among several voices pushing the White House to incorporate more thinking from policing groups in drafting its executive order. The order has not yet been issued.
The initial version of the Collaborative Reform Initiative was introduced during the Obama administration. Under the Trump administration, the attorney general at the time, Jeff Sessions, scaled back certain aspects of it. He said that the program had become too broad and onerous, and he decided that it would no longer audit police departments that participated in such Justice Department programs, focusing instead on helping the police fight violent crime.
The latest iteration of the program, developed over the past several months, includes three initiatives intended to build “collaboration, trust, and legitimacy” between law enforcement agencies and their communities, Mr. Garland said.
One initiative is a center created in 2017 that provides targeted technical assistance on more than 60 topics, such as officer safety and wellness, gun violence reduction and community engagement. Last year, the program worked with 171 law enforcement agencies to create specific plans of action.