Date of Award

Winter 2-28-2015

Degree Type

Thesis

Degree Name

Master of Public Administration (MPA)

Abstract

Americans’ distrust of government keeps public organizations in check, and ensures the United States Government does not trample on Americans’ right to liberty, equality, and individualism. However, recently it appears that young college students and minorities have become increasingly disillusioned with the American political system and law enforcement organizations. Many scholars have suggested that electronic government is one method that can help law enforcement organizations repair their relationships with young Americans by encouraging online transparency and accessibility.

Police officers from the City of Berkeley Police Department, the University of California Berkeley Police Department, and the City of Oakland Police Department as well as Latino college students at the University of California, Berkeley, provided the data for this study. The results of this study found that the City of Berkeley Police Department’s online presence did not have a significant effect on its relationship with Latino college students at U.C. Berkeley, but that when electronic government was combined with traditional community outreach, the City of Berkeley’s e-government information communication technologies had the potential to bolster its perceived transparency and accessibility to build a stronger, more trusting relationship with Latino college students.

About the Author: The author is a Peruvian-American federal law enforcement civilian employee in Oakland, California. She graduated from Georgetown University in 2010 with a Bachelor of Science in Foreign Service, and is a Master in Public Administration candidate at Golden Gate University.

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