LOUISVILLE, Ky. (WDRB) -- A new program being adopted by Louisville police is aimed at better understanding of public safety concerns.

Louisville Metro Police is launching a "Blockwise" survey offered by tech company Zencity. The anonymous survey tool promises to help the department understand attitudes and trust issues with local police. 

"We understand that the work that we're doing to build relationships within the community, there is no way that we can reach out and have a one-on-one relationship with everyone," said LMPD Deputy Chief Sgt. Paul Humphrey. "When there are issues of certain crime issue or certain social issue that affects trust in the police, we need to know about that so that we can make adjustments." 

Zencity is behind similar programs for police and local governments in cities including Chicago, Phoenix, Seattle, Greensboro and San Diego. It's Chief Operating Officer Maurice Classen said the survey is a tool that gives agencies a real-time gauge of public opinion and concerns.

"That partners with law enforcement specifically, because we know the challenges that law enforcement face across the country, and across the globe really, with issues of trust and safety," said Classen.

The five-minute survey launched Friday. It will be promoted through digital ads, news websites and social media. The survey is run by Zencity - not LMPD.

"We want to make sure the data we gather is neutral, unbiased and not influenced by LMPD," said Humphrey. 

The survey will be presented to Louisville residents in English, Spanish, Arabic, Swahili and Kinyarwanda. LMPD released examples of possible questions:

  • When it comes to the threat of crime, how safe do you feel in your neighborhood?
  • To what extent do you agree or disagree with the following statement? In general, the police in my area…
    • Treat everyone fairly, regardless of who they are
    • Provide the same quality of service to all individuals
    • Would treat you with respect if you had contact with them for any reason
    • Treat local residents with respect
    • Are approachable
    • Listen to and consider the concerns of local residents
  • How willing would you be to contact the Louisville Metro police department if you were a victim of crime or were worried about something?
  • How much access to information does the Louisville Metro police department make available to the public about crime and arrest patterns in the community?
  • What is the number one issue or problem on your block or in your neighborhood that you would like the police to deal with? Please be specific.

The company said it will use a "targeted outreach" to sample audiences that match Louisville's real population demographics.

"We saw engagement happening so often with just like the same 10 people. We wanted to make sure that more residents were having their voice heard," Classen said. "So whether you're active on one website, or you're active only in your community meetings, or if you're only active in emailing your government we want to be able to capture all that information so the governments can better respond resident concerns."

Zencity ad.png

Zencity is using a "targeted outreach" such as social media posts like this one, to sample audiences that match Louisville's real population demographics.

The department is spending $193,000 for a year in hopes of identifying key concerns the public wants addressed in different areas of the city. Those who take the survey will be anonymous, but will be asked to voluntarily disclose their zip codes and some demographic information.

That data from the survey is complied into a dashboard which can be broken down by each division, allowing LMPD to see the current needs in each neighborhood.

"We can then focus our communications, our crime strategies around focusing on the issues that the community sees as being pivotal in their specific areas," Humphrey said.

LMPD hopes to take a proactive approach amid the U.S. Department of Justice investigation into the department, which cited 63 incidents of alleged misconduct. The DOJ investigation was launched in the wake of the 2020 police killing of Breonna Taylor.

Her death sparked months of protests in downtown Louisville that summer. The DOJ report cites three specific incidents where police violated First Amendment rights during the protests.

Since the report was released, LMPD and the DOJ have been negotiating an agreement focused on ways to improve policing in Louisville. Mayor Craig Greenberg's office said the DOJ will be back in Louisville this month to host more of its open community meetings.

Humphrey says LMPD's talks with Zencity started a year ago.

"What we're trying to do is provide good solid constitutional policing, regardless of what oversight body might be involved or any other external agencies," Humphrey said. "We're about making LMPD and the community safer and more transparent."

LMPD promises to make survey results public on a quarterly basis. 

To take a look at how the dashboard works and what it could look like, see the PDF embedded in this story.

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