A group of students who work in Penn State Altoona’s Integrated Social Science Research Lab recently attended a media event about a community policing program they have been studying for the Pennsylvania State Police. From left to right: Trooper Joe Dunsmore, Lieutenant Adam Reed, Katelyn Kurtz, Devlin Glenn, Ray Ncube, Nathan Kruis, Sergeant Logan Brouse and Nicholas Rowland.
ALTOONA, Pa. — A group of students who work in Penn State Altoona’s Integrated Social Science Research Lab (ISSRL) recently attended a media event about a community policing program they have been studying for the Pennsylvania State Police (PSP).
The event was held at the Municipal Police Officers’ Training Center in Harrisburg and informed media outlets from across the state about the PSP Building Bridges Community Outreach Program (BBCOP).
Launched in by the PSP in 2021, the program is a positive non-enforcement contact intervention designed to educate the public and improve community relations. Student research included using a mixed-method analysis of pre- and post-intervention survey data to assess participant’s perceptions of the program and views of police before and after taking part.
A research paper, published in the Oxford Journal “Policing: A Journal of Policy and Practice,” shows that participation in BBCOP is associated with empirical gains in perceptions of police, demonstrating the utility of the program as a tool for improving police-community relationships.
Five members from the ISSRL were interviewed by the media about their study of the program.
“This is an experience I won’t forget,” says Katelyn Kurtz. “Knowing that our work is being used to help promote a program that can improve policing in Pennsylvania makes me feel good. The media day is by far one of my favorite and most important college experiences.”
“This gives me hope for a safer career when I join law enforcement,” adds Devlin Glenn. “Knowing that the BBCOP is effective and having our research on it published makes me so much more confident in this path I’m on and for the system as a whole.”
Ray Ncube also found the event to be a gratifying experience. “It was a reminder about why everyone in the lab have work tirelessly on this research. We want to help Building Bridges grow and succeed.”
