Baltimore Police Department
Creating a community-centered site for a police department seeking to increase transparency and rebuild trust
602,495
City of Baltimore citizens using I.F. technology
270+
Department policies posted for public feedback
12
Distinct personas developed for website redesign
Special Features:
Drupal 10
3rd Party Integrations
Data Feeds
Bulk File Upload
Location/Maps
Social Media
The Baltimore Police Department is at the forefront of nationwide efforts to make policing more transparent and accountable. Their website is an integral part of their efforts to better communicate with individuals in their city, share their policies and progress, and provide essential crime and safety information.
A hub for transparency and community engagement
Most recently, we’ve embarked on creating a new site for the Baltimore Police Department through a unique two-phased approach that has allowed them to enact immediate homepage improvements while we prepare the framework for the rest of the site. Our Voice of Citizen data showed that the city’s residents were struggling to complete important tasks such as filing a police report or finding their local district information. By redesigning their homepage to highlight these essential tasks in a user-friendly “How Do I …” menu, we have created shortcuts to the most common user needs. We’ve also restructured their information architecture to streamline and clarify their information categories, supporting their department’s underlying priority of greater transparency and easier community access.
Success factors
- User-centered task menu based on documented needs
- Multiple areas to present the latest news and updates
- Unique microsite hosting ability
- Bright and modern design that supports ease of use
- Completely mobile responsive and accessible
Innovation in action: Microsite with Drupal-powered protection
To help the Baltimore Police Department spotlight EPIC (Ethical Policing is Courageous), a high-priority initiative to improve the department’s culture and community interactions, we developed an innovative approach to building a microsite. Rather than create a completely separate site, we were able to leverage the built-in security and stability of Drupal to host a simple, design-forward site. The average user sees a sleek, streamlined page with visual similarities to the overall site but without the standard menus, headers, and footers that would otherwise clutter the design. The client now has peace of mind, knowing their microsite has the same protections and technical sophistication as their larger site.
