Metropolitan Police Department

Since 2012, while violent crime has been on the decline, the District of Columbia has experienced a gradual and significant increase in the proportion of homicides, assaults with a dangerous weapon (ADW), and robberies involving guns. More recently, the District experienced an increase in homicides, from 116 in 2017 to 160 in 2018. The Metropolitan Police Department (MPD) is committed to preventing and reducing homicides and gun crime through community-oriented policing strategies. MPD will procure a community sentiment survey tool that enables the department to regularly and consistently track how the District’s neighborhoods feel about three measures: trust in police, satisfaction with police and public safety services, and perception of safety. The information collected through this survey tool: 1) would help serve as a key community metric of MPD performance; 2) allow MPD officials to adjust management practices where applicable; 3) encourage positive and procedurally just interactions between officers and community members; and 4) serve as outcome measures to evaluate the impact of MPD programs and policies on community perceptions and public trust. The SPI site will utilize a randomized control trial to assess the effects of the management practices implemented alongside the deployment of the survey tool with sworn personnel.