Focus Group Report

The ASU PR team conducted a focus group about the Phoenix Police Department with eight
participants ranging in ethnicity, occupation and age. The focus group questions gave the ASU
PR team insights on how Phoenix residents feel about the Phoenix Police Department, its
communication strategy with the community and its effort to support transparency through
videos detailing high-profile incidents. Additionally, the team gauged the participants’ general
perception of the police force.

Methodology
The team identified potential participants by first creating an outline of what demographics
should be included, such as Causcasian, African American, Latino American, and Asian
American. Then the team reached out to potential participants who met the demographic
requirements and are residents of Phoenix, from the team’s personal and professional contact list.
The team decided to invite participants who they were already associated with for security and
safety reasons of the Cronkite School, and because of the delicacy of the topic.

The focus group lasted a total of two hours in a conference room within the Cronkite School. The
questions touched on topics including: general perception of police, perception of Phoenix
police, social media usage, transparency video usage, sentiment towards Phoenix PD
communication tactics, and experiences with Phoenix Police interactions.

During the focus group, a variety of social media posts were shown to the participants including
community, incident reports, traffic, memorial and event posts. The participants were also shown
a transparency video about a suspect who was shooting a rifle into the air and the actions officers
took to arrest the suspect.

Key Findings and Quotes

1. The general perception of the police force varies and changes situationally, but the
majority of the focus group agreed that the media’s chosen narrative is a leading
 determinant of their opinions. The participants agreed that Phoenix PD needs to take
control of the narrative through its social media.
a. “Media picks up on the negative stories and that's what's broadcasted out there.
There's no way for the community to hear anything good, and because of that, you
have a lot of people who have negative feelings toward police.”
i. (4 participants verbally agreed with the aforementioned statement)
b. “I'll piggyback on what she said. I totally agree, and obviously, the media portrays
the negative because that's what sells. That's what gives them ratings.”
c. “Even in pop culture. We watch television and movies and police are always dirty
or there always seems to be some who are corrupt. I think we have this illicit
social bias towards them.”
d. “I have that respect for them, and I haven't had any negative experiences with law
enforcement at all, so I am [inherently] mostly positive. But then you have the
media coverage, which is mostly negative, so I would say I'm neutral overall.”
e. “We don't see it [PD’s social media posts] and that’s the way you control the
narrative in your organization. You want to make sure people see that.”

2. When participants hear about the Phoenix Police Department or see its logo, the majority
feel that there is danger in the area, but also believe the department does a good job
keeping Phoenix safe. Additionally, participants acknowledged the department’s struggle
to recruit officers.
a. “If I see them, the first thing I think about is what's wrong? Once they're around,
that means that something is wrong because they're there to fix it.”
b. “I mean, my one phrase would be ‘stretched too thin’ and maybe another word:
‘overworked.’”
c. “They literally have openings on every single job, every single week, and they
cannot get people to pass [the recruitment process].”

3. Participants felt that the level of scrutiny that an officer goes through is a leading cause
for why the department struggles with recruitment.
a. “It's almost ridiculous...it's almost as if they have no rights. I think that's why
there's no one wanting to become an officer in this day and age anymore. It's too
difficult.”
b. “Anything that they do wrong or even if it's a major or minor issue, it's gonna be
brought to the media, and that officer is either going to lose their job, go on
administrative leave or something like that. Because of that, I think officers are
afraid to do their job, and I think maybe the body worn cameras assist with that
process.”
4. The minority participants felt that when it comes to their interactions with police they
need to be cautious, not only because of their own personal interactions, but also because
of their family’s experiences with police. Participants agreed that their personal sentiment
is influenced by older generations in their family.
a. “I don't have that (a calm reaction to a police officer behind her). I don't know if
it's because of where I grew up, being pulled over unnecessarily when I haven't
done anything wrong or hearing other people's stories [from] when they've been
pulled over for [doing] absolutely nothing but driving while [being] black.”
b. “Uncles, my dad and just hearing their stories of the things that I've seen, are just
not so nice. And so they have more of a negative sway towards police officers.
And so with that general upbringing and then now having to think of my own idea
of my own personal opinion on what police officers should be definitely has an
effect.”

5. The majority of participants agreed that how a police officer approaches someone is a key
factor in their perception of police and whether or not they are being racially profiled.
This insight was found after a participant shared a story about being questioned by an
officer when he was simply walking home after getting food.
a. “After he dropped the wall, ‘I am a police officer. You are a citizen,’ [the
conversation] was more like ‘hey, I'm patrolling the area. What is going on? Can
you help? Can you help me?’”
b. “When you're approached like that [accusingly]...I'm going to get defensive back,
and it only escalates. I think when you come with an approach that's a little bit
more relaxed, that only can help the situation."
c. “I'm a very optimistic person. I’ll give you the benefit of the doubt but to a certain
extent.”
i. (participants reply) “Because you just think, ‘OK if I didn’t look like this,
would this be happening?’” “And you have to ask yourself that.”
d. “It almost feels almost judgmental. They kind of look at you and think ‘what are
you hiding?’”
e. “if they came at you in a different way and asked those questions in a different
way, it would put you more at ease.”
i. (many participants nodded in agreement)

6. When asked about social media, the participants had not known about the various
platforms Phoenix PD uses to communicate with their community. They said that the
posts should have shorter captions that are concise because they will not read it if it is a
paragraph and they appreciate when humor is included in posts. Additionally, the
 younger participants believed the memorial posts should be grouped into one post per
month, while the older participants appreciated individual posts.
a. “I personally like the Twitter posts as compared to the Instagram ones just
because I like when it’s short, concise and nothing too crazy. If I want to learn
more about it they should give a link to something I can watch.”
i. The younger participants agreed with this statement. The older participants
laughed.
b. “It is upsetting if you were to see four or five of them (memorial posts) in a day”
c. “I definitely would understand that there would be mixed emotions about putting
them (memorial posts) all in one post, even though I would prefer to have it like
that.”
d. (the older participant said) “It (the memorial post) makes me feel warm and
fuzzy.”
i. (a younger participant responded) “I’d say the opposite.” (Other younger
participants nodded in agreement)

7. When asked about Newsroom, the participants, including two city employees, have no
idea what it is or where to find it. They agreed that if Phoenix PD had their own police
app they would download it and use it if the app was in a Twitter-like format. The
participants would look at Newsroom articles and updates on the app because it would be
user-friendly. The two city employees also wanted any information regarding Phoenix
PD news and events to be shared internally.
a. “I personally want to see some of the things that I would see on a community
outreach page like a Facebook group where they had the good and the bad, and
they just send out their updates.”
b. Updates like: “Make sure to say hi and have fun. Be safe tonight. Simple things
like that shows yes, there will be officers around the area, but they're there to be a
little bit light-hearted to keep the whole area safe.”
c. “You have to have a Q and A section. I'm sure the website has it, but it would be
easier to put that on the app to ask questions or answers, you know, we need some
sort of form to fill out. Here you go. Here’s how to find it. You got any tips?
Anonymous tips. Send us any.”

8. When prompted about Chief Williams, the participants agreed that she is making great
steps in the force to be transparent and she takes necessary actions to improve the police
culture in Phoenix. However, they also felt as though Jeri sometimes does not have a
good media presence because she can seem overly defensive on air in certain situations.
They agreed that maybe someone else on the force should speak on behalf of the
department, but Jeri should be present to introduce and support.
 a. “Sometimes when Jeri responds, the chief of police, she sometimes seems like she
goes in and gets defensive.”
b. “On some of those news conferences, she took offense. You can see it in the
reaction on her face.”
c. “I think the other thing the chief does well is supporting transparency is really
important. I think she's done a lot of that...I've also noticed that in the past
years...she's fired people, and that's very unheard of in the force. It’s hard to do,
but I think that's a positive thing that they're doing.”
d. “I definitely do think that she (Jeri) should be there (media conferences) every
single time, but she doesn't need to speak every single time. Just being there in the
background and seeing that she stands behind what is being said to the public is
important.”

9. After showing the transparency video, the mood in the room went down because of the
emotionally heavy content, but the participants agreed that the videos are vital for
building and maintaining trust between the department and community. They also agreed
that the videos should be more promoted.
a. “When you see the full video, then you make a more informed opinion of what's
going on. When people edit and they just want to see a flash of what happened,
then they make an uninformed opinion of what had happened. So having
transparency videos is good.”
i. Three people verbally agreed to this statement and two others nodded.
b. “As disturbing as it is, this is something people need to see.”

10. The participants agreed that Phoenix PD needs to be proactive in the community with
community policing such as being present at events and being part of the community
actively. Such as being a coach to students, walking around the city to get to know the
residents, being a mentor, etc.
a. “I know this coach who is also a police officer and people see him in a different
light. So when people go and do that, on their off duty work or see an officer at
like a Walmart, or see them at stores it betters our perception of cops.”
b. “Our rival high school wrestling coach was also a police officer in the area.
Everyone knew him as Coach Red and then whenever you saw him on the street,
people just shouted, coach Red. And he would always be interacting with all the
kids.”

Focus Group Participants List and Descriptions

1. Mexican American, LGBTQ
a. 21 years old
b. Male
c. Gen Z
d. Employed, biochemistry student
e. Zip Code: 85004
2. Half Hispanic, Half African American
a. 19 years old
b. Male
c. Gen Z
d. Mechanical engineering student
e. Zip code: 85042
3. Caucasian
a. 36 years old
b. Male
c. Millennial
d. Employed, finance
e. Zip code: 85032
4. Half Caucasian, half Asian American
a. 22 years old
b. Male
c. Gen Z
d. Employed, teaching assistant
e. Zip code: 85339
5. Caucasian
a. 75 years old
b. Female
c. Baby boomer
d. Employed, U.S. Department of Agriculture
e. Zip code: 85042
6. African American
a. 45 years old
b. Female
c. Gen X
d. Employed, case manager for Head Start
e. Zip code: 85339
7. Half African American, Half Asian American
a. 24 years old
b. Female
 c. Gen Z
d. Employed, exercise and wellness student
e. Zip code: 85224
8. Mexican American
a. 57 years old
b. Female
c. Baby Boomer
d. Employed, Victim’s Advocate for City of Phoenix
e. Zip code: 85042

Survey Responses Post Focus Group

The following responses were recorded in a survey section taken by the participants after the
focus group had ended. The corresponding list is in the same order as the participant list in the
previous section.

1. Neutral Sentiment
a. “I have equal positive and negative output on PD.”
2. Positive Sentiment
a. “Phoenix police is a very good service in my opinion. The role of a police officer
is to serve and protect and they do the best they can with the resources and
conditions present.”
3. Positive Sentiment
a. “The police have a very tough job. I understand and appreciate all that they do.
The police are here to serve and protect us. Bad things happen and people are
human. Cops try their best each and every day.”
4. Positive Sentiment
a. “I think the Phoenix Police Department is unfairly scrutinized by the media and
general public sentiment. After watching that video of a group of officers
responding to gunfire from an estranged man, I realize the dangers they undergo.
The Phoenix officers responded to the event in a non-threatening manner, and
they responded appropriately without shooting the armed man.”
5. Positive Sentiment
a. “Mostly Positive for sure.”
6. Positive Sentiment
a. “Phoenix Police are doing well, but need to do more to promote the department
and the good that they do. Do More to control the narrative.”
7. Neutral Sentiment
 a. “I still have a neutral view of the Phoenix Police Department, there wasn;t an
abundant amount of positive information brought . The transparency video was a
little eye opening, but not a lot was shown about how other positive things were
happening in the community.”
8. Positive Sentiment
a. “Transparency videos are important to provide to the public as it portrays Phoenix
PD, their professional ability and can shed positive actions in which the public
can make informed decisions of PD.”