The Irving Police Department is one of 100 police agencies nationwide that was selected to participate in a research project through the National Police Research Platform at the University of Illinois at Chicago (UIC). The first phase of the project involved a two-part survey of police employees. The second phase will focus on citizens who have had contacts with police employees. As part of the National Police Research Platform’s Community Interaction (PCI) Survey, individuals who had interactions with IPD employees will soon be able to rate the level of service they received during those contacts. The survey is designed to collect information that could help improve police procedures and approaches in Irving, and other jurisdictions nationwide.
Participation in the survey will be simple. As police reports are filed, a letter will be sent to community members asking them to take a survey relating to their police contact. The survey is available in English and Spanish and can be taken either online or by telephone. Police encounters that involve traffic accidents and stops, as well as most non-violent crimes, will be part of the survey; however, contacts that result from domestic violence, sexual assault, or involve juveniles will not be surveyed.
According to Assistant Chief Jeff Spivey, “no one asked to participate in the survey should be concerned that the information collected could be used in other ways. None of the survey information will be collected by the Irving Police Department.” All survey responses will be managed by the UIC researchers. The results provided to the IPD will not include any information identifying the individual responding to the survey or the officer involved in the contact.
We sincerely hope that anyone who receives a survey letter will take the survey and provide us with honest feedback.
If you have any questions regarding the project, feel free to contact the National Police Platform Staff at 312-996-0764 or at uicnprp@gmail.com.
