Building Trust,
Bridging Divides
The Long Beach residents and Long Beach Police Department feel mutually afraid and intimidated by each other. We were given the task to work with LBPD to build trust between the police department and Long Beach locals.
We came up with an interactive kit for ride along passengers to co-create authentic content to share with their communities.
Our strategy was chosen to be implemented and is now in the making.
14 wk project, 2018
Sponsored by the Long Beach Police Department
Team: Kimberly Handoko, Radhika Kashyap
There is a lack of trust between Long Beach residents and the their Police Department.
We interviewed 45 Long Beach locals and 15 Police Officers to identify possible reasons behind the distrust
Key cultural immersion insights
Long Beach is a diverse city, however, different ethnic groups live in segregated parts of the city.
To proactively shape sentiment, LBPD should tailor their engagement efforts to different community segments using a variety of channels and recognize that one size does not fit all.
Key interview insights
1.
The media highlights negative interactions with the police more often than positive.
“Have you not been paying attention to the news worldwide? It’s corruption, corruption, corruption by the police.”
2.
People perceive the police to be insincere in their own branding channels (social media etc.)
“I am not going to fall for their brainwash branding. You shouldn’t be working for them”
3.
People that have participated in a ride along or other similar programs are able to empathize with law enforcers better.
“After going on a ride along I realized police officers really deal with life-threatening incidents everyday. We judge them too quickly"
What if we could invite community leaders and members from different districts to ride along with officers on duty and share their experience with their respective communities?
Overall Design Criteria
Inclusive
Language
Neighbourhoods
Culture
Race
Transparent
Authentic
Honest
Personal
One on one interactions
Influential
Ability to inform others of
their findings
Process Gallery
Ride Along Kit breakdown
The interactive tablet and information booklet included can be used in conjunction or separately depending on availability and ride along volunteer experience and circumstances.
The ride along kit is designed to help both the officer and the volunteer during the ride along through it's many features. It also aims to foster a better understanding and build bridges between police officers and the community they serve.
Overlapping welt pocket and side pockets to hold small personal items securely.
Side pockets specifically sized and shaped to intuitively hold the tablet and informational booklet.
Larger back pocket to hold larger personal devices.
Ride alongs are unpredictable, being hands-free will help keep volunteers safe and ready for anything.
The bag is asymmetrical and has 3 points of adjustments to accommodate a variety of body types and sizing.
While out on the field, if the volunteer is snagged or grabbed by someone, the bag has parachute buckles. They are easy to open with a squeeze while also strong and secure enough to avoid accidental release.
Materials are a mix of bright, reflective and glow in the dark. Not only are bright and bold colours reflect CMF trends, volunteers will be easily recognized by police officers out in the field.
User Scenario
