Part 3: Research themes
Austin Tech Alliance, in collaboration with the City of Austin’s Office of Design and Delivery, partnered with the Office of the Police Monitor to understand the current pain points and obstacles residents face when submitting complaints about their experience with the Austin Police Department.
In Part 2 of this blog series we reviewed our research process and the different types of prototyping we use to engage the public to get feedback. Let’s dive into our findings and the themes discovered during the research phase.
Theme #1
There are barriers to accessing the complaint process, from fear of retribution to logistical hurdles, that disproportionately affect the most vulnerable communities.
Theme #2
There’s a lack of transparency between complainants/public and Office of Police Monitor/Internal Affairs that makes it difficult to demonstrate value, progress, and accountability. This effectively reduces trust between the Police Department and the community.
Theme #3
There’s a preference for mitigating informally, and therefore a lack of institutionalization of processes that makes it difficult for Office of Police Monitor to do its work sustainably.
Learn about our recommendations in the final part of this 4-part series. To learn more about Paper Census visit papercensus.org and follow us on twitter.