The VCTF provided an opportunity to enhance the relationship between the Kankakee Police Department (KPD) and other law enforcement agencies in the area. It was staffed with three detectives from the KPD and the Kankakee County Sheriff's Department. In addition, an Illinois State Police detective was assigned to the unit part-time. The VCTF was formed to investigate unsolved homicides, particularly older cases, and investigation procedures included re-interviewing witnesses and suspects and pursuing old leads. The evaluation of the VCTF began in late 1996, about 1 year after the unit's formation. The evaluation focused on unit implementation and operation and on the impact of unit activities. Evaluation findings indicated that assigning police officers to old homicide cases represented an important statement to the community about the significance of such crimes to the police department. The VCTF also lead to an increased willingness in the community to provide information that helped solve new homicides and other serious offenses. The subsequent drop in homicide rates, while consistent with the pattern of homicide decline nationally, was much greater than the national trend. The VCTF played an important role in strengthening the relationship between the community and the police. The evaluation identified the following elements to be most critical to the success of the VCTF: sufficient time to devote to targeted cases, commitment by participating agencies to foster communication and cooperation, and involvement of a dedicated prosecutor early in the investigation process. 3 figures