Penn State DuBois students will be conducting a door-to-door survey from 10:45 a.m. until noon on February 5 as part of a class assignment.

Students will visit residents in the Oklahoma area of Sandy Township and will be supervised by a faculty member, who will also be providing transportation in the university-owned van. Faculty in the Administration of Justice program want to notify the residents that this is a legitimate class exercise.

“Thus far, the students have found out that the local community has a favorable perception of the police and would like the police to interact more with the community,” said Lecturer of Administration of Justice Selena Price. “This assignment will show the community that their local community members care about their perceptions and want to possibly provide viable solutions to their concerns.”

As part of the “Criminal Justice and the Community” course, students will be asking residents to complete a short survey in order to better understand people’s perception of law enforcement.

“Thus far, the students have found out that the local community has a favorable perception of the police and would like the police to interact more with the community,” said Price. “This assignment will show the community that their local community members care about their perceptions and want to possibly provide viable solutions to their concerns.”

Price noted that increased communication between the community and law enforcement can help make the community a better place to work and live. Students will continue to complete community projects, and Price hopes to see more events like one last year, when city police opened their department to have a town meeting. Officers also discussed their everyday routine to help the community better understand their duties.