A survey aims to improve the relationship between communities and police in rural Mississippi

by

Ashley Norwood

• Published on June 10, 2021 • Last modified on June 9, 2021 • Comments

Hattiesburg police surround a burned automobile and a damaged home after a small plane crashed late Tuesday night in Hattiesburg, Miss., Wednesday May 5, 2021. Emergency officials in Mississippi say multiple people were killed when the small plane crashed into a home.
AP Photo/Chuck Cook

Researchers at a historically Black university in the Delta are taking a closer look at policing in rural Mississippi. The team of researchers say they hope to understand and improve the relationship between community and police statewide.

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A group of professors at Mississippi Valley State University is collecting data focusing on two things: how citizens view their interactions with law enforcement and how law enforcement view their interactions with the community.

The Southern Poverty Law Center contracted the group to begin the project last year. Ongoing research consists of newspaper searches, anonymous surveys of community members and police officers and focus group discussions.

"After a murder has occurred, a murder between civilians, police arrive. Well, that is not crime prevention," said Kathryn Green, professor of History at Mississippi Valley State University.

"And so what communities are saying is just more interaction with police prior to crime might be helpful in providing safety and providing confidence that community members could feel that they could talk to police about an issue in the community."

As cases of police misconduct and police brutality surface nationwide, Green says she's concerned whether or not they'll get much participation from police. She says having input from both the community and law enforcement is a critical part of their research.

"We've seen how they feel that people are not respecting the hard work that they do," said Green.

"That they feel that they're targeted and that's what we don't want to come out of the survey. We don't want that to be the result. We want better communication. So, we need to hear from them."

Green and other researchers at the university are collecting and analyzing data to determine the issues in rural communities and inform policy advocates such as the SPLC and NAACP in Mississippi.

The online survey can be found here.