Culpability

3 people are killed by police every day across the US and unfortunately no community is safe from gun violence. Over 15,000 people have been killed by gun violence in America to date and we aren't even half way through the year. Every year since 2018 the numbers have risen. While it's difficult to provide an exact figure, a significant number of people are both directly and indirectly affected.

Here is a list of key factors that contribute to violence in America:

• Systemic issues and inequalities: Structural factors such as systemic racism, inequality, and social disparities contribute to the higher prevalence of gun violence in marginalized communities.
• Lack of conflict resolution skills: Poor conflict resolution skills and a lack of access to de-escalation or counseling resources contribute to the escalation of disputes into acts of gun violence.
• Domestic violence: The presence of firearms in households with a history of domestic violence increases the likelihood of fatal outcomes.
• Culture of violence: Exposure to a culture that glorifies violence influences attitudes and behaviors related to violence.
• Mental health and social factors: Mental health issues when combined with access to firearms can increase the risk of violence.
• Socioeconomic factors: Communities facing socioeconomic challenges often experience higher crime rates, which may involve gun violence.
• Gang related activity: Gang presence and gang related disputes contribute to gun violence in certain communities.  
• Access to firearms: Easy access and lax gun law.

All of the factors contributing to the problem relate to our solution except access to firearms. 

Our solution is the Culpability mobile app and platform.

First our Culpability mobile app allows a user to hit the SOS button when they need it. The SOS starts recording the audio and video of the situation/incident. At the same time the Culpability app sends a notification to your predetermined emergency contacts (mother, father, spouse, your children, best friend, neighbor, whomever) with that link your emergency contact can click on it to see and/or hear what’s going on with you live.

Those same emergency contacts receive another link with your GPS coordinates so help can be on the way. Lastly all of the Culpability users within the area will receive a notification that a Culpability users has initiated the SOS; they can get involved. 

When a person finds themselves in an incident that’s not an emergency but needs to be captured they can hit the blue camera to start recording. If they want to make the video public they can do so and other Culpability users can see the video.

Incident records can be created with officer and/or citizen details. Citizens can rate officer interaction/performance. This will help create accountability, transparency and safety in our communities.

The Culpability map will allow users to see where incidents are happening in their community. 

Culpability users will be able to look for resources within the community and they will be able to submit recommendations of resources. We will vet them and add them accordingly.  

Users have access to videos, they can look over their rights. They will have access to Trainings some free and some not free. 

Users can chat within the app. They will have access to all of their videos created in Culpability and they will be stored in the Cloud.

On the backend where the data is collected is the Culpability platform. It’s here on the Culpability dashboard B2B customers and Culpability partners will be able to see the number of incidents that have been captured, number of citizens, or officers reported both positive and negative. The details of those incidents like incident types, dates, times etc. are available. This information can be utilized to compare what law enforcement is collecting versus what citizens are experiencing. This empowers the community to be proactive instead of reactive. 

These are some of the communities that our solution will serve:

• Communities plagued by excessive and overly aggressive policing
• Students in elementary, high school and college especially with invisible disabilities
• Civic Organizations
• LGBTQ
• Senior Citizens

These communities have been underserved and overlooked when it comes to a lack of accountability, transparency and safety as it relates to police brutality, gun violence and resources. Our solution empowers users and  provides users with a safe and responsible platform to utilize when they are in need i.e resources, emergencies, and a variety of get home safe trainings. 

Our Culpability team is invested into making a difference. 

Nikki our IT Director has over 15 years of technical experience coding, project management, various computer languages and database experience….but what has her invested is the fact that she has 2 sons in college, nieces, nephews, a  husband and a community to get home safe.  

Oyin the Learning and Communications Director has over 15 years experience in learning and development, executive communication, and she’s an advocate for children with invisible disabilities. She is invested because she has 2 school age children with invisible disabilities, a husband and a community that she wants to help get home safe. 

Roy our Community Engagement Director has many years of Customer Service and Community experience. Unfortunately, he was another innocent Black man that served time in prison and has made it his mission to help make a difference in his community.

Noelle is an advocate for children and young adults with invisible disabilities and the Founder of Culpability. Noelle has spent over 20 years in learning and development and large scale system implementations with various organizations. 

The design and implementation of the solution has been guided by the communities input through Customer Discovery along with our BETA testing. The relationships with the community and various civic organizations has provided valuable insight and feedback to their needs.

We are applying for Solve primarily because we are looking to connect with Solve partners that can assist us with helping us with expanding our market reach to more communities as well as helping us build out our team. 

Culpability is innovative because it addresses real-world safety concerns and enhances the overall safety and security of its users by providing:

• Real-time location tacking: We incorporate GPS technology when a user deploys the SOS so their emergency contacts will be able to provide help when necessary.
• Emergency alerts and notification: When the SOS is deployed the notification is sent to the users emergency contacts, the audio and video from the mobile phone begins recording and the emergency contact receives a link they can click on to see what is taking place in real time.
• User friendly interface: The mobile app is easy to use along with additional safety features encouraging positive and responsible behaviors
• Resources: Culpability users are able to submit recommendations for resources. We vet them and add them accordingly.  
• Training: Users have access to videos, they can look over their rights. They will have access to Trainings some free and some not free. 

We think this can influence the market by making being responsible cool again.

These are our impact goals for the next year:

• Awareness and Education: Facilitate at least 4 trainings a quarter
• Partnerships and Collaborations: Seek partnerships with like minded organizations or initiatives that share similar goals. (20 minimum)
• Data Metrics: Establish relevant metrics and data collection methods to track progress towards impact goals.
• Stakeholder Engagement: Identify and engage key stakeholders who can contribute to our impact goals. This will include community members, partners, volunteers, expert and influencers so we can leverage their expertise.

We will achieve our goals by reviewing and refining the impact goals every 6 months.

5 year 10% goals:

• Decrease violence in Culpability communities by 10%
• Increase Culpability trainings in Culpability communities by 10%
• Increase Partnerships and Collaborations by 10%
• Increase Stakeholder Engagement by 10%

We are measuring progress toward the impact goals through user feedback, data on violence in the community, feedback from our community partners and the incident data being collected on the Culpability dashboard.

Here is the breakdown of Culpabilities theory of change:

Culpabilities theory of change starts with its core activities and features. It's designed to provide individuals with tools and resources to enhance their personal safety and address violence-related issues. These activities include features like our SOS panic buttons, location tracking, incident reporting, and information dissemination.

By implementing these activities, the app generates outputs. These outputs are the immediate products or deliverables of the app. For example, users can quickly access emergency services through the app, share their location information with trusted contacts or authorities, report incidents of violence, and access information and resources on safety measures.

The first outcome enhances personal safety. By having Culpability at their fingertips, individuals feel safer and more secure. The app provides them with a sense of empowerment and confidence, knowing they have a tool to seek help and support in threatening situations.

The second outcome improves response and intervention. The apps features, such as SOS buttons and location tracking, enable faster response and intervention. When a user activates the panic button, it sends an alert to pre-determined emergency contacts notifying them of the user's distress.

The third outcome increases reporting and transparency. Culpability encourages users to document incidents. This reporting feature can communities gather information and take appropriate action against perpetrators. It also allow users to capture and store evidence, such as photos or videos, which can be crucial in identifying offenders and creating accountability, transparency and safety in communities.

We will continually evaluate and refine our theory of change based on evidence, user feedback and changes in the context of violence and safety. This will help us ensure that features align with our mission to help get everyone home safe, maximize the impact on violence prevention and personal safety.

The core technology is a mobile app and platform - Culpability along with SMS technology.

Our entire team is diverse in thought, experience, background and ethnicity. We welcome, encourage and value diversity of thought. As a matter of fact a couple of members of the team have not just created and facilitated diversity training but they have coached other leaders within organizations on diversity and inclusion. We are committed to creating and fostering diverse Culpability communities.

We will become financially sustainable through our subscriptions, advertising, paid trainings and raising investment capital.

Thus far we have been pre-revenue and self funded.