FY2022 Methodological Research on Measuring Community- and Officer-Initiated Law Enforcement Activity | O BJS 2022 171347

Opportunity Information: Apply for O BJS 2022 171347

The FY2022 Methodological Research on Measuring Community- and Officer-Initiated Law Enforcement Activity grant opportunity is a Bureau of Justice Statistics (BJS), Department of Justice offering focused on improving how law enforcement activity is measured, documented, and ultimately understood. The central idea is that day-to-day policing generates large volumes of operational data, especially through computer-aided dispatch (CAD) systems and related records, but those data are often inconsistent across agencies and not collected or stored in ways that support reliable analysis. By investing in methodological research, BJS is aiming to create stronger, more standardized approaches for capturing both community-initiated events (such as 911 calls and requests for service) and officer-initiated activity (such as traffic stops, patrol-driven encounters, and proactive interventions). The opportunity is positioned as part of a broader Office of Justice Programs commitment to civil rights and racial equity, improved access to justice, stronger community safety, support for victims and justice-involved individuals, and building trust between police and the communities they serve.

A major motivation behind the solicitation is that systematic, high-quality data on police-public events can answer basic but critical questions that many jurisdictions still struggle to address with confidence. Better measurement can clarify law enforcement workload by showing what officers are responding to, under what circumstances, and what outcomes follow those actions. With more comparable and complete event-level information, agencies and policymakers can make evidence-informed decisions about resource allocation, evaluate how police responses vary by incident type or neighborhood context, assess officer safety risks tied to different kinds of calls and encounters, and improve the quality and timeliness of services provided to community members and other stakeholders. The solicitation also highlights the value of this information for addressing complex community issues that frequently intersect with law enforcement activity, including drug abuse and mental illness, where understanding the nature of calls for service and the results of interventions can shape more effective and humane strategies.

Another key deliverable implied by the opportunity is the development of national best practices for CAD data collection and storage. CAD systems sit at the center of many police operations, but agencies differ widely in how they define data fields, record event types, track officer-initiated actions, document dispositions, and retain historical records. These inconsistencies make it difficult to produce sustainable national measures of police-public interactions. Through a cooperative agreement, the selected awardee would be expected to work closely with BJS to advance methods that can be adopted broadly, improving long-term comparability and creating a more durable measurement foundation for research and practical performance management.

In terms of award structure, this is a discretionary funding opportunity using a cooperative agreement, which typically means BJS anticipates substantial involvement in shaping or guiding the work during the project period rather than a hands-off grant. The funding activity category is Information and Statistics, consistent with BJSs role as the federal governments primary statistical agency for justice data. The opportunity number is O-BJS-2022-171347, and the CFDA number listed is 16.734. The solicitation anticipated a single award, with an award ceiling of $500,000, signaling an intent to support one primary effort rather than multiple smaller projects.

Eligibility is relatively broad and includes public and state-controlled institutions of higher education, private institutions of higher education, nonprofit organizations (both with and without 501(c)(3) status, as specified), for-profit organizations other than small businesses, and small businesses. The opportunity was created on May 26, 2022, with an original closing date of July 18, 2022. Overall, the grant is best understood as a targeted investment in the technical and methodological groundwork needed to turn routine law enforcement activity records into more consistent, policy-relevant data that can support evaluation, transparency, and improved decision-making at both local and national levels.

• The Department of Justice, Bureau of Justice Statistics in the information and statistics sector is offering a public funding opportunity titled "FY2022 Methodological Research on Measuring Community- and Officer-Initiated Law Enforcement Activity" and is now available to receive applicants.
• Interested and eligible applicants and submit their applications by referencing the CFDA number(s): 16.734.
• This funding opportunity was created on May 26, 2022.
• Applicants must submit their applications by Jul 18, 2022. (Agency may still review applications by suitable applicants for the remaining/unused allocated funding in 2026.)
• Each selected applicant is eligible to receive up to $500,000.00 in funding.
• The number of recipients for this funding is limited to 1 candidate(s).
• Eligible applicants include: Public and State controlled institutions of higher education, Nonprofits having a 501(c)(3) status with the IRS, other than institutions of higher education, Nonprofits that do not have a 501(c)(3) status with the IRS, other than institutions of higher education, Private institutions of higher education, For profit organizations other than small businesses, Small businesses.

Apply for O BJS 2022 171347

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