Currently, LEWIS is involved in a groundbreaking research effort led by LEWIS Research Director Dr. Ben Graham, which utilizes extremely unique access to body-worn camera footage to analyze communication between officers and civilians in everyday interactions such as traffic stops. Titled Everyday Respect, the project represents an interdisciplinary collaborative effort between several research labs at The University of Southern California, Georgetown University, and UC Riverside. The project examines whether race, gender, socio-economic or other disparities exist in how community members are treated during stops, how factors like race, disability status, community context, and officer training shape how officers communicate, and how officers’ communication early on in a stop shapes how the interaction unfolds, including whether or not it escalates. 

LEWIS provides a key link between academic researchers and the community. In the early stages of the research process, LEWIS helps gather community voices to ensure that community needs drive the research questions being asked. And then in the later stages of the research, LEWIS ensures that research findings are actually used to inform grassroots community work that influences the daily lives of both civilians and officers. This research will directly inform the ongoing development of the LEWIS BRIDGES program, producing an immediate and measurable impact in the community.