WATCH: Columbia Police Wants Feedback from Citizens

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COLUMBIA, S.C. (WOLO) — Officers with the Columbia Police Department handed out survey cars in Five Points Thursday.

The cards give people a way to engage with officers and provide feedback on encounters with law enforcement officers with CPD.

 CPD uniformed patrol officers will begin distributing business cards that identify officers by name, rank, and region, to individuals with whom they have contact. 

 The card also provides a phone number that citizens can text to initiate the survey – Text “CPD” to 803-388-8037.

A Fact Sheet on the initiative is attached that explains why citizen feedback on encounters with CPD officers is so important, how the survey works, what questions are asked, and how CPD will use the results.

According to Chief Holbrook, “The survey provides a much needed mechanism to measure and evaluate both enforcement and non-enforcement citizen-police encounters and serves as a vehicle for the voices of our citizens to be heard.  Community feedback is important to us.  We want to ensure the performance of the Columbia Police Department meets the expectations of the people we serve.”     

 The survey was developed in partnership with USC graduate and former criminal justice student Kat Baxter.  Baxter is the founder of Positive Referral Technologies.

 The text message-based survey will soon be available in Spanish.