CITIZEN SATISFACTION SURVEY

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On March 20th and 21st, 2010 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 the time the respondent was called on a Saturday, and a question regarding a specific Professional Standards inquiry.

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.

At the end of the two-day project, all 1,771 phone numbers had been called and a total of 196 citizens took the time to complete the survey. 

Based on the survey, 88 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 the past 12 months. 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 = 27%        

      NO = 72%

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

      YES = 11%

      NO = 36%

      NO FORMAL CONTACT = 52%

3.   If formal contact did occur, how would you rate your overall level of satisfaction with the overall quality of the contact?

      ABOVE SATISFACTORY = 25%*                         

      SATISFACTORY = 25%*           

      BELOW SATISFACTORY = 5%*

      DON'T REMEMBER = 44%*

      *Excludes those with no formal contact

4.   How would you rate the safety of your neighborhood during the day?

      VERY SAFE = 39%                         

      REASONABLY SAFE = 40%

      SOMEWHAT SAFE = 14%

      VERY UNSAFE = 3%           

      DO NOT KNOW = 4%

5.   How would you rate the safety of your neighborhood after dark?

      VERY SAFE = 23%                           

      REASONABLY SAFE = 40%

      SOMEWHAT SAFE = 23%

      VERY UNSAFE = 9%

      DO NOT KNOW = 5%

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

      YES = 46%*                         

      NO = 53%*

     *Excludes those with no opinion

7.   How would you rate the safety of our city's business areas during the day?

      VERY SAFE = 22%                                  

      REASONABLY SAFE = 52%

      SOMEWHAT SAFE = 19%

      VERY UNSAFE = 1%

      DO NOT KNOW = 7%

8.   How would you rate the safety of our city's buiness areas after dark?

      VERY SAFE = 5%                         

      REASONABLY SAFE = 35%

      SOMEWHAT SAFE = 35%

      VERY UNSAFE = 10%

      DO NOT KNOW = 15%

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

      ABOVE SATISFACTORY = 25%*                           

      SATISFACTORY = 69%*

      BELOW SATISFACTORY = 5%*

      *Excludes those with no opinion

May 27, 2010