Charlottesville Police Department to have community score officers after interaction

The Charlottesville Police Department is working to build trust and nurture its relationship with the community. To do so, the department announced two new initiatives designed to measure each officer’s interaction with the public.

In mid-July, the department will receive procedural justice training, which focuses on the importance of officer etiquette and communication. The concept is based on four key principles: voice, neutrality, respect and trustworthiness.

Research shows the training helps decrease crime – and builds healthy and positive relationships. The department plans to incorporate feedback from community members.

Once the training is completed, CPD plans to launch a pilot program with Guardian Score.

Following a police-community interaction like a traffic stop, the police officer will provide the community member with an interaction card. This interaction card can be scanned via QR code, leading to a 60-second, anonymous survey with several ratings questions regarding the specific officer interaction.

The community member is then asked to provide ratings on skills such as listening, communication, fairness and professionalism. The results will be immediately available to police leaders and confirmed through body-worn camera review.

This process will provide a better understanding of the day-to-day police-community interactions within the city, as well as individual officer data.

For more information, visit charlottesville.gov