Beyond the Conversation
How to Engage the Community
Departments need to be purposeful when deciding how they will engage, so that they are setting themselves up for success and satisfying the needs of community members.
Deciding how to engage the community requires two preliminary decisions: (1) the purpose and goal(s) of the engagement; and (2) whether it is a “one-off” or will be ongoing. These factors help determine what successful engagement looks like.
WHAT IS THE GOAL?
We’ve categorized four different ways to engage with community members, based on the well-known Spectrum of Public Participation. We’ll explore each category in detail next.
To provide information to the public, without seeking input.
Informing the public by providing clear information in a timely and accessible manner (i.e. online, social media, in multiple languages) can help build trust and legitimacy. There are many situations in which a department may want to inform the community, such as updating them on crime trends, on-the-ground operations or new departmental policies.
Although there are reasons a department may choose to inform the community, this method of engagement also has a downside: it is typically a one-way street—the department shares information and the community receives it. Often, the public will want to engage on a deeper level, or have expectations about having a say in the outcome.
Still, there are definitely situations in which “inform” is the way to go. Next, we'll walk you through our tools that will provide a framework and examples of how to design and successfully execute the type of engagement you are planning.
There are some matters for which departments should inform the public on an ongoing basis. Examples of this include monthly crime statistics or updates on implementation of a new program, such as one involving diversion.
Often, a good way to provide ongoing information is simply to post it on the department’s website. This is a good approach for sharing information the public might want to access at any time, such as a department’s data and transparency policy, or its policy manual.
Beat meetings are another approach. These should happen regularly, and can be used for updating smaller groups about things like localized crime trends or problem-solving efforts.
However, if the public is called to a meeting and comes, it is probably best to go beyond the “inform” step. People who come to meetings want to engage, which can impact their expectations for follow-up and a department’s responsiveness to concerns raised.
Departments will also want to inform the public in a one-off fashion at times, such as when there is an event to announce, or to tell them about something that has happened. A good tool for this is a press conference.
Social media is a helpful way to keep the community informed, both in one-off situations and on a continuing basis. Departments should develop standard practices for using social media so that the public has consistent access to important information.
Remember, none of these tools need to be used in isolation; they are often most effective when used together, as they should be for matters of importance.
To obtain public feedback on a specific issue.
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To partner with the public in identifying problems and solutions
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To share final decision-making power through a formal governance body.
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ONE-OFF OR ONGOING?
One-off or short-term engagement is appropriate when the goal is to reach a broad group of people. Common forms of one-off engagement include press releases or community forums.
One-off engagement requires fewer resources to organize; however, it is not well suited for relationship building.
Ongoing engagement typically works best in partnership with a specific subset of the community. Examples of this include beat meetings and community advisory boards.
Ongoing engagement takes more effort to organize and maintain, but the smaller group size can lead to more valuable in-depth interactions.