CITIZEN SATISFACTION SURVEY

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On December 19 & 20, 2006 the Planning Division conducted a random telephone survey of the approximately 49,000 residential telephone numbers in the City of Newport News. We employed the survey module in our CityWatch telephone alert notification system to gauge citizens’ overall satisfaction with the Newport News Police Department via a nine-question, touchpad telephone survey. Each participant was also supplied with a voicemail phone number where they could call in and leave comments regarding the agency and/or the survey. The only comments received were related to a computer glitch that allowed the survey to run past its scheduled ending time in the evening.

We selected a sample population of 1,771 randomly-selected phone numbers (excluding business phones) that was used as our sampling frame for this survey. We had hoped for a response level of at least 381 respondents (We actually got in excess of that, but we disregarded the incomplete surveys). At that level, we would have achieved a 95 percent confidence level with a margin of error of +/- 5 percent. This model (i.e., 95 percent / +/- 5 percent) is commonly used by the larger national survey companies for such things as “exit polling” surveys during national elections.

At the end of the two-day project, all 1,771 phone numbers had been called and a total of 320 citizens took the time to complete the survey. As a result, our margin of error grew to 5.5 percent. However, this response level is still statistically valid.

At the response level we achieved, it allows us to say – for example - that if 50 percent of the people surveyed indicated that they feel safer today than they did one year ago, we could report that we are 95 percent confident that between 44.5 and 55.5 percent of the population of Newport News would say they feel safer today than they did a year ago, if they were to be asked that same question.

Based on the survey, 92 percent of those who completed a survey indicated that they felt the overall performance of the Newport News Police Department was satisfactory or better during 2006. Below is a synopsis of our findings:

1.      During the past 12 months, have you or a member of your immediate family had formal contact with a member of the Newport News Police Department?

      YES = 35%        

      NO = 65%

2.   If formal contact did occur, was it the result of you or your immediate family member being a victim of a crime?

      YES = 13%

      NO = 41%

      NO FORMAL CONTACT = 46%

3.   If formal contact did occur, how would you rate your overall level of satisfaction with the employee’s attitude and behavior?

      BELOW SATISFACTORY = 14%*                         

      SATISFACTORY = 36%*           

      ABOVE SATISFACTORY = 50%*

      *Excludes those with no formal contact

4.   If formal contact did occur, how would you rate your level of satisfaction with the employee’s level of competence?

      BELOW SATISFACTORY = 10%*                         

      SATISFACTORY = 39%*           

      ABOVE SATISFACTORY = 51%*

      *Excludes those with no formal contact

5.   How would you rate the job the Police Department is doing in providing policing services to the city as a whole?

      BELOW SATISFACTORY = 7%*                           

      SATISFACTORY = 48%*

      ABOVE SATISFACTORY = 45%*

      *Excludes those with no opinion

6.   How would you rate the job the Police Department is doing in providing policing services to your neighborhood?

      BELOW SATISFACTORY = 14%*                         

      SATISFACTORY = 53%*

      ABOVE SATISFACTORY = 33%*

      *Excludes those with no opinion

7.   Do you currently feel safer in your neighborhood than you did a year ago?

      YES = 49%*                                  

      NO = 51%*

      *Excludes those with no comment

8.   How would you rate the Police Department in its efforts to address vice and drug-related crime in the city?

      BELOW SATISFACTORY = 20%*                         

      SATISFACTORY = 57%*

      ABOVE SATISFACTORY = 23%*

      *Excludes those with no opinion

9.      How would you rate the overall performance of the Newport News Police Department

      BELOW SATISFACTORY = 8%*                           

      SATISFACTORY = 61%*

      ABOVE SATISFACTORY = 31%*

      *Excludes those with no opinion

February 21, 2007

C:/Mark/CITIZENSURVEY