Improving Police & Citizen Communication: A Community Workshop (Past Event)

Everyday Respect is a groundbreaking collaborative research project between USC, UC Riverside, and Georgetown that measures police officer communication during motor vehicle stops. Using exclusive access to police body camera footage, we will examine how officers’ communication early on in a stop shapes how the interaction unfolds, including whether or not it escalates. We will also examine whether race, gender, class or other disparities exist in how community members are treated during stops, as well as how factors like race, disability status, community context, and officer training interact to shape how officers communicate.

The Everyday Respect research team, led by Principal Investigator Dr. Ben Graham works with nonprofit partner The LEWIS Registry to ensure that this research is translated into practice that meaningfully serves the community. The LEWIS BRIDGES Program is a grassroots community effort built to foster safer interactions between potentially vulnerable citizens and police officers in LA and nationwide, focusing its early development on improving communication between officers and individuals with disabilities.

This workshop will bring together diverse community stakeholders to gain feedback on the questions underlying both Everyday Respect and The BRIDGES Program, making sure that we identify and measure the factors related to officer communication (particularly during traffic stops) that matter most to community members. We are also seeking community input to ensure that our plans for programs that help translate our academic research into social action are both pragmatic and reflective of citizens' most pressing concerns.

Please join us on October 21, 2022 from 9:00am to 1:00pm PST to be a part of the conversation. Light breakfast, lunch, and welcome gifts will be provided!

USC values the equitable and full inclusion of individuals with disabilities into all aspects of campus life, including events. Individuals with disabilities who need accommodations to attend this event may contact iliana@thelewisregistry.org to coordinate accomodations with the university. It is requested that individuals requiring accommodations or auxiliary aids such as sign language interpreters and alternative format materials notify us at least seven days prior to the event. Every reasonable effort will be made to provide reasonable accommodations in an effective and timely manner.