VIRGINIA BEACH, Va. — Virginia Beach Police want your opinion on interactions with them.
Police said they just launched a new community engagement tool called My90. They said it's from Axon, the same company that supplies their body cameras.
They said My90 is used to engage the public, collect confidential feedback, and improve outcomes following service calls by sending short surveys to people who have called 911.
“Now more than ever, I think it’s really important that we reach an understanding with our community, and that we find that common ground, that we understand one another,” said Chief Communications Officer Jody Saunders.
Saunders said this new tool allows them to gather information in real-time.
“When we hear feedback that requires immediate attention or requires us to look at our policies or behaviors, we can do it faster,” said Saunders.
Local resident, Kim Nguyen, had questions about how the data is used but said she is on board with the idea.
“Even if it’s just to the general PD, and they can build classes or better training on again, empathy and understanding,” said Nguyen.
Police say since January more than 5,000 people have taken the survey.
VBPD said they are pleased to share the My90 results from the first half of 2023 which showed an overall satisfaction rating of 83% by people surveyed, expressing a positive view of the department. They said 89% said they were treated with respect, and 87% said they were treated fairly.
However, police say only 11% of people responded to their survey and they hope to increase that number.
Police said the survey goes to 911 callers reporting non-violent crimes. Saunders said if it involves a more serious crime like an assault, they would not give the survey because she believes it would re-traumatize someone.
“This is a different approach to how we’ve looked at data in the past. Instead of looking at trends on an annual basis, the data we receive with My90 allows us to see the impact we are having in our community in near real-time and shift accordingly where necessary,” said Police Chief Paul W. Neudigate. “This technology allows us to take our approach to data, transparency, and public engagement to the next level.”
Click hereto review the My90 reports for the first and second quarters of 2023.
