Engaging the community is not only a hallmark of community policing, it’s also essential for missing person cases. Partnering with the community and other law enforcement and government agencies can be a force multiplier and pave the way to address jurisdictional issues. Below are resources that describe specific efforts of Tribal law enforcement to engage with the community and local partners.

• The Collaborative Reform Initiative Technical Assistance Center (CRI-TAC) offers tailored technical assistance resources to state, local, territorial and Tribal law enforcement agencies, including a training on developing a Volunteer Engagement Program in for Tribal law enforcement agencies.
  • This fact sheet describes Volunteer Engagement for American Indian and Alaska Native Missing Persons Cases, a CRI-TAC project that trains Tribal law enforcement agencies on volunteer engagement. 
• The Law Enforcement Enterprise Portal (LEEP) is a gateway providing law enforcement agencies, intelligence groups and criminal justice entities access to resources. Find sample* Tribal Community Response Plans (TCRPs), which are community-specific plans to effectively respond to a missing person report, on LEEP in the “law enforcement sensitive” Community of Interest (COI). Find how to sign up for a COI in the Communities of Interest Fact Sheet.
  *The Sault Ste. Marie Tribe of Chippewa Indians and the Bay Mills Indian Community have agreed to share their local TCRPs developed under a Department of Justice MMIP Initiative/Operation Lady Justice Pilot Project.
• The Tribal Resources for Justice Systems and Law Enforcement flash drive offers over 100 COPS Office, U.S. Department of Justice and nongovernmental publications and resources.
• Cross-Deputization in Indian Country is a COPS Office publication that examines the jurisdictional and legal limits of cross-deputization and how it has been implemented in various law enforcement agencies in Indian Country, and describes promising practices and provides sample documents and agreements.
• Public Safety Partnerships in Indian Country is a COPS Office report that describes the experiences of the Mendocino County Sheriff's Office and Round Valley Indian Tribes in developing partnerships to address public safety issues. This report is a resource for other tribes who wish to implement collaborative programs across jurisdictions to improve public safety in their communities.