Heather Willard / NewsBreak Denver
(Douglas County, Colo.) A survey of Douglas County residents found that most respondents have a favorable view of the law enforcement agencies and officers in their communities.
The study, conducted between Jan. 26-Feb. 13, gathered insights from 1,453 Douglas County residents on how they view public safety matters.
The survey asked respondents to rate law enforcement on a scale of 1-10 on a handful of matters, ranging from how helpful police are in the respondent's neighborhoods to how satisfied citizens are with how direct interactions went with the Douglas County Sheriff’s Office.
Douglas County residents rated the most important role of police officers as responding to 9-1-1 calls, patrolling neighborhoods and interacting with residents.
“Interestingly, nearly equal numbers of respondents answered that the most important
role of police officers is to respond to 911 calls (emergency response) and to patrol
neighborhoods and interact with residents (crime prevention and community
engagement),” the survey report stated.
Less than 20% said investigating violent crimes is the most critical role of police, and a combined 8% said the most essential role is enforcing traffic laws or nuisance crimes.
The majority of survey respondents (885 individuals, or 61%) said they had not directly interacted with the Douglas County Sheriff’s Office in the past year. Of the 568 respondents who had contact, 79% ranked their satisfaction at an 8 or higher, on a scale to 10.
About 12% (71 responses) rated their satisfaction at 5 or below.
Out of 1,453 responses, 1,130 (79%) ranked their agreement to the statement “I trust the police in my neighborhood to solve problems” as an 8 or higher. Most statements in the report earned 8 or higher ratings, including:
- The police in my neighborhood treat local residents with respect (86%)
- The police in my neighborhood maintain good relationships with the community (79%)
- I feel comfortable approaching the police in my neighborhood (85%)
- Police officers in my neighborhood are professional (85%)
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