The Art of Listening in Law Enforcement – Building Community Trust

• In Event: Posters II

Abstract

Departments across the United States have failed to recognize the value of community feedback and communication. There have been studies that indicate the general public views regarding police are favorable, but support varies between demographic groups and variables –namely race (Benedict et al., 2000). The value of perceptions of the police are challenging because distrust complicates officer’s ability to interact, communicate and thus control crime. “To properly serve the needs of the community such needs must be known” (Marenin, 1989). The city of Toledo has not conducted a citywide measurement of citizen’s opinions of the police department until now, and therefore did not know the public’s true perception, but we are starting to. The Toledo Police Department has supported this survey approach with feedback from townhall meetings in the community. Beyond the media attention highlighting the need for police-citizen interactions, research is also surfacing to suggest that measuring “customer service” responses are necessary – from Cincinnati to New Orleans to Chicago. This information is an unmeasured source for police departments, but the contribution it could yield is enormous.

Authors

• Kasey A. Tucker-Gail, University of Toledo

• George Kral, Toledo Police Department

• David Lilley, University of Toledo

• Megan C. Stewart, University of Toledo

• Tara Elizabeth Butler, University of Toledo