Partnerships
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Safe Stores, Strong Communities
Since 1962, Target has partnered with local law enforcement to actively improve public safety in our stores and communities. Listen to our President, Chairman and CEO’s take on how we strengthen the neighborhoods we serve.
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Target & BLUE
Over the past 20 years we’ve established ourselves as trusted partners to law enforcement in their efforts to strengthen public safety. See how this program is helping youth in Washington, D.C., and meet a true success story.
Making Honolulu a Safer City
Through a $100,000 grant from Target’s Safe City initiative, the Honolulu Police (HPD) recently launched a new initiative aimed at deterring graffiti, illegal drinking and drugs, and illegal dumping in Oahu’s federally designated Weed and Seed sites.
Safe City Overview
Target helped establish and expand Safe City, an initiative created to unite law enforcement, local businesses and community organizations. Through technology and information-sharing tools, Safe City empowers citizens to reduce crime and build safer communities. Target has been instrumental in helping launch this program in metro areas across the country, including Atlanta, Baltimore, Boston, Chicago, Fort Worth, Los Angeles, Minneapolis, Orlando, Washington, D.C., West Palm Beach and more.
National Police Week/Police Unity Tour
As part of National Police Week, Target team members join thousands of people at the annual National Law Enforcement Officers Memorial Fund (NLEOMF) candlelight vigil each year to recognize all law enforcement officers and honor those who lost their lives in the line of duty.
As a proud supporter of the NLEOMF, Target sponsors several of the Fund’s initiatives, including the National Law Enforcement Museum, which broke ground in Washington, D.C., in 2010. We also host rest stops in our store parking lots along the Police Unity Tour bike route from New York and New Jersey to Washington, D.C.
Shop With a Cop
Kids who have good relationships with the police officers who work in their communities are less likely to get into trouble with the law and more likely to seek help from the police when they need it. Helping to build these relationships is the goal of the Shop With a Cop program, which pairs police officers with underprivileged children for a holiday shopping spree.
Last year, more than 100 Target stores across the country hosted Shop With a Cop events. Target donated more than $150,000 in GiftCards for the program, helping thousands of families in need and building just as many new friendships.
Department of Justice Partnership Strengthens Community Safety
At Target, we don’t want to just be in the community, we want to be part of the community, and this belief translates into partnerships that strengthen the efforts of both the public and private sector. We shared this innovative approach to community engagement at a recent symposium, hosted in partnership with the U.S. Department of Justice. During this event, Target built support for public/private partnerships and new public-safety strategies with law enforcement agencies from across the country and Fortune 500 companies.
Since local police agencies, federal law enforcement and private businesses often are not connected on public-safety matters, Target played the convener role, enabling them to share best practices across jurisdictions. Target and meeting participants also shared organizational leadership insights that could be applied across groups.
Based on this session, the Department of Justice produced a report called “Reaching Out to the Private Sector: Building Partnerships and Managing Your Workforce,” for other corporate and public safety executives seeking to build authentic and effective public/private partnerships. Target will continue to look for opportunities to serve as an innovative partner to law enforcement, supporting our communities.
Big City Emergency Managers Forum
Target is the sole retail sponsor of the Big City Emergency Manager’s forum (BCEM), which is held bi-annually to provide directors of emergency management in the 15 largest cities an opportunity to explore and discuss the specific needs and challenges facing their communities. The BCEM group has the ability to influence policy decisions at the national level for emergency management, and Target participates in the forum to understand the challenges facing large cities and identify potential partnership opportunities.
“What’s impressive about Target is that you have this retailer who shows genuine interest and takes the initiative to share their knowledge and raise the bar for major cities’ emergency management programs.”
Donald McGough Director, Boston Mayor’s Office of Emergency Preparedness