U.S. Department of Justice 
Office of Community Oriented Policing Services 

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www.cops.usdoj.gov 

Fact Sheet 

Value-Based Initiative and Value-Based Reentry Initiative 

“WE’RE NOT NECESSARILY 
GOING TO AGREE ON 
EVERYTHING, BUT AT LEAST 
IN FORT WAYNE WE CAN 
SIT DOWN AND TALK ABOUT 
IT. THAT TRUST LEVEL IS 
IMPORTANT. TO MAKE 
COMMUNITY POLICING WORK, 
YOU HAVE TO SHARE THE 
POWER. “
CHIEF RUSTY YORK, FORT 
WAYNE POLICE DEPARTMENT 

The Office of Community Oriented 
Policing Services (COPS) funds a 
wide variety of projects designed to 
strengthen the relationships between law 
enforcement agencies and the communities 
they serve. The COPS Value-Based Initiative 
(VBI) and Value-Based Reentry Initiative 
(VBRI) fund projects that partner law 
enforcement agencies with faith-based 
organizations and other community groups. 
COPS has invested more than $6.7 million in 
VBI and VBRI projects all over the United 
States since 2000. 

The VBI provides the start-up resources 
to develop a local program and create the 
infrastructure to implement it. A successful 
VBI program is designed from its inception to 
build strong, lasting partnerships and establish 
local capacity to sustain the initiative beyond 
federal funding. VBI sites should serve as 
model programs built on the principles of 
community policing that other communities 
can replicate. 

In 2003, COPS expanded its VBI program 
to include the new Value-Based Reentry 
Initiative. Under the VBRI, five sites from 
around the United States were selected 
to serve as national models that can be 
replicated by others seeking to create their 
own reentry programs. The VBRI program is 
another element in the effort to create safer, 
healthier communities by working toward the 
successful integration of the ex-offender back 
into the community through a partnership 
approach. 

As part of the VBRI program, mentors 
are selected from faith-based and other 
community organizations. Mentor teams are 
trained to serve as the liaison between there 
turning offender and various resources and 
services, including housing, employment, 
health, and mental health. Training also 
includes the specific skills needed to work 
effectively with the offender community. 

The five sites that have participated in the 
three-year program and who received grants 
in 2003, 2004, and 2005 are: 

• Institute of Contemporary Studies, 
  Oakland, California 
• New Commandment Baptist Church/ 
  Jobs Partnership of Greater Washington, 
  Washington, D.C. 
• Boston Police Department, Boston, 
  Massachusetts 
• Transition of Prisoners, Detroit, Michigan 
• Connections to Success, Kansas City, 
  Missouri 

In addition to these five model sites, the 
COPS Office has also invested in projects 
that will bring a greater understanding of 
the reentry challenge to the law enforcement 
community. To that end, COPS has partnered 
with the Urban Institute (UI), the Council of 
State and Local Governments (CSG), and the 
International Association of Chiefs of Police 
(IACP), to fund a reentry guide, a reentry 
toolkit, and a national reentry summit. Since 
2003, COPS has invested over $3.5 million in 
reentry initiatives. 

For more information about the COPS Value-
Based Initiative and Value-Based Reentry 
Initiative, contact the COPS Office Response 
Center at 800.421.6770 or visit COPS online 
at www.cops.usdoj.gov. 

Updated April, 10 2006 
e01062001