Inside Our Impact – March

Many people believe that small communities are largely free of crime and violence. However, violent crime is still a concern for numerous jurisdictions, including in these smaller communities. Just like their counterparts in cities and larger towns, small agencies, also known as rural agencies, are sending officers to incidents involving firearm violence, deaths, domestic violence, and substance use and drug-related crime.

Rural agencies face unique challenges when responding to these calls. Oftentimes, these agencies are experiencing a decreasing tax base, personnel shortages, expansive geographic territory, and lack of access to medical treatment that can make violent crimes in rural areas more fatal than in urban settings.

The Rural Violent Crime Reduction Initiative (RVCRI)—funded by the Bureau of Justice Assistance and supported by the National Policing Institute and the Local Initiatives Support Corporation—is an effort to offer support to rural law enforcement agencies by providing grant funding, training, and hands-on assistance. Since 2021, RVCRI has provided funding and support to over 60 agencies across the United States.

Captain Elonza Perkins with the Elizabethton Police Department in Tennessee said, “Over the past two years, our partnership with the National Policing Institute has been instrumental in addressing violent crime in our community. Through this collaboration, we received technical training, an on-site evaluation of our Criminal Investigations Division, and a detailed report with actionable recommendations. One key outcome was a peer exchange that enabled eight officers to visit the Charlotte-Mecklenburg Police Department, gaining valuable insights to enhance our operations.”

RVCRI supports these rural agencies by assisting in improving investigations, implementing violent crime reduction strategies, enhancing collaboration between local partners, expanding victim services, strengthening crime prevention programs, and purchasing needed technology.

“The Ashland Police Department has seen tremendous growth in what the mission of the grant was set out to do. We continue to implement a balance of technology and evidence-based practice that has allowed us to see a reduction in violent crime. The team at RVCRI is awesome to work with and provides great resources for you to expand your knowledge base of what other law enforcement agencies are doing,” said Chief Joseph Stanford, Ashland Police Department in Alabama.

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Samantha Rhinerson is a Senior Program Manager II at the National Policing Institute, with nearly eight years of experience managing and providing training and technical assistance (TTA) nationally. She’s currently leads the Rural Violent Crime Reduction Initiative (RVCRI).

“Rural and small law enforcement agencies make up the majority of American law enforcement; however, they often lack the funding, resources, and personnel to continuously improve the services they provide to their communities,” said Rhinerson. “NPI’s mission and drive to deliver safe, professional, and effective policing for everyone, every time with direct support to those rural and small agencies, is why the work at NPI matters so much to me.”

Rhinerson co-manages the Community Oriented Policing Services (COPS) Office Critical Response Program—an initiative that offers targeted assistance to law enforcement agencies experiencing high-profile events, major incidents, or specific needs.

“NPI is truly an organization working to advance law enforcement, at all levels, in all communities, no matter the agency size or jurisdiction,” said Rhinerson.

Throughout her career, Rhinerson helped manage and deliver hands-on assistance to dozens of agencies through multi-million-dollar grants and cooperative agreements. Her contributions have assisted officers with community engagement, implementing body-worn cameras, and analyzing incident responses. On top of being a seasoned professional, Rhinerson also holds a Master of Arts in

Forensic and Legal Psychology from Marymount University and a Bachelor of Science in Criminal Justice and Psychology from Jacksonville State University.