SEATTLE – Seattle Police and Seattle University released the results of a 2015 Public Survey Thursday.
The survey found the top safety concern citywide is car prowls, followed by lack of police capacity/ presence, residential burglary, littering/dumping, and property crime.
According to Seattle Police, the non-probability survey was administered both online and on paper from October 15 to November 30, 2015 in seven different languages and garnered 7,286 responses. There was also an outreach effort to capture survey responses from individuals who were unlikely to respond to an online survey.
The survey focused on issues surrounding public safety, perceptions of police, neighborhoods, and crime. The Public Safety Survey is part of Seattle University’s two year independent evaluation of the Micro Community Policing Plan, according to a press release.
“Recent tragic events that have taken place across the country are a reminder that we must be united in our efforts to create a safe city,” said Chief Kathleen O’Toole. “Our Micro Community Policing Plans are one important way we are aligning our policing priorities with the needs of our communities. I want to thank Seattle University and our community for helping us in our work.”
“The Seattle Public Safety Survey offers an unprecedented opportunity to capture micro-community level information, acknowledging that citizen perceptions of crime matter,” said Dr. Jacqueline Helfgott, Professor and Chair of the Criminal Justice Department at Seattle University.
“Taken as a whole, the information provided by the MCPPs and Seattle Public Safety Survey, in conjunction with official crime statistics, provides SPD with a snapshot of what matters to the citizens of Seattle at the micro-community level to meaningfully inform the direction of police resources.”
The Seattle Police Department is launching a new Micro Community Policing Plans site with crime data, interactive dashboards, and strategies to address priorities.
