on 01-26-2010 02:11

By DONNA KENNY KIRWAN

PAWTUCKET — Despite the sour economy, depressing job market and a concerning amount of crimes, many Pawtucket residents say they feel good about their police department.

Very good, in fact. A recent survey that was conducted by Salve Regina University showed that, on average, 90 percent of the respondents indicated they were satisfied with the services delivered by the Pawtucket Police Department.
Additionally, all functions and personnel categories of the police department, which ranged from questions about professionalism, courteousness and knowledge of the employees from patrol officers to supervisors, were rated positively by city residents.
According to Police Chief George L. Kelley III, the Pawtucket Police Department is seeking to become an accredited agency through the Commission on Accreditation for Law Enforcement (CALEA), and the survey is one of the required standards.
The accreditation process, which takes about three years to complete, provides law enforcement agencies the opportunity to demonstrate professionally recognized standards for excellence in management and service delivery.
The community survey was sent to randomly selected households within the city. Of 5,000 surveys that were distributed, 17 percent  were returned--a rate that is considered above average. Salve Regina students also conducted personal and telephone interviews of Tolman and Shea high school students on various topics, including school violence, as well as some community and minority leaders.
A formal report was presented to the police department on Dec. 16. “The Pawtucket Police Department is proud to release the findings of the report,” noted Kelley.

In addition to assessing the “customer service” of the Pawtucket Police Department, the survey also sought information on what residents thought about crime trends and problems in their community. Respondents were asked to rate 13 crime problems, ranging from minor traffic issues and littering to serious matters such as drug distribution, robberies and assaults according to the ranks of “Not a Serious Issue,” “Needs Attention” or “Serious Issue.”

For the purposes of the survey, the city was divided into nine neighborhoods. Darlington had the highest return rate at 46 percent, Fairlawn was 14 percent, and Oak Hill was 10 percent. Woodlawn had a 7 percent response rate, followed by Pleasant View, Quality Hill, and Pinecrest at 4 percent and Country Side and downtown at 2 percent.

According to the report, there were 867 surveys analyzed. It was considered significant that 560 or 65 percent of respondents reported having contact with the Pawtucket Police Department while 302 or 35 percent reported having no contact with the police department within the past three years.

On a question asking if police response time was adequate, 452 or 52 percent answered “yes” while 66 or 8 percent answered “no.” Also, out of 867 respondents, 606 said they had not experienced “cultural, ethnic or language barriers” in their contact with the Pawtucket Police Department.

The majority of the types of contact were: 1) made a “Complaint of a Crime or Other Incident” (32 percent); 2.) “Other” (29 percent); 3) “Traffic Stop/Violation” (20 percent); “Was a Victim of a Crime or Other Incident” (17 percent); 4) “Noise Complaint” (13 percent); and 5) “Involved in an Accident” (10 percent). Four percent answered that their contact “Was Witness to a Crime or Other Incident.”

In regard to the nature of contact with police, respondents were asked a series of questions concerning the performance of personnel in sub-sections of “Records,” “Dispatcher,” “Patrol Officer,” “Detective Division,” “Supervisory Staff,” and “Overall Department.” The survey concluded that the general performance for each category of personnel was “overwhelmingly positive.” Not one of the overall percentages dropped below an 88 percent positive rating and the police department as a whole had an approval rating between 89 to 91 percent. It is also stated that the “Patrol Division,” which should be considered the “face” of the department, had positive approval ratings ranging from 89 to 90 percent.

The survey listed 13 “Crime Problems” and an “Other” category and asked respondents to rate on a five-point LIKERT scale, ranging from “Not a Serious Issue” (1-2) to “Needs Attention” (3-4) to “Serious Issue” (5). The survey noted, however, that the community's perception of the most serious crime problems do not necessarily reflect actual Pawtucket Police Department crime data.

The issues “Drug Distribution,” “Serious Crime (Rape, Robbery, Assault and Burglary)” and “Gang Related Activity/Crime” were the top three of the most serious “Crime Problems” according to residents. These same issues were also the concerns expressed by the students who were interviewed from Shea and Tolman, the community leaders and minority groups.

Of 777 responses, 21 percent ranked “Speeding” the fourth most serious issue, with 53 percent indicating it needs attention and 27 percent indicating it is not a serious issue. “Larceny (From Your Property or Vehicle)” was rated the fifth most serious issue, with “Vandalism” coming in at sixth, “School Violence” as seventh and “Stop Sign/Other Violations” listed as eighth. In the “Other” category, responses indicated some concerns about loitering, domestic violence and prostitution.

On the topic of the most recognized services provided by the Pawtucket Police Department, “Speed Limit Enforcement” was first, with 668 respondents or 77 percent saying they were aware of it. The survey said it should also be noted that over 50 percent of the respondents felt that speeding is either a serious issue and/or needs attention. “Animal Control” came in the second most recognized service at 74 percent, followed by “Amber Alert” at 60 percent and the “DARE Program” at 56 percent.

The “School Resource Officer” was recognized by 41 percent of the respondents. The survey noted that this is important because 81 percent of the respondents said they feel that their children are safe at school. It is also noted that nearly half of the respondents feel that school violence needs attention, and the School Resource Officer provides the needed safety in the schools.

The police department's “Bicycle Patrols” were recognized by 40 percent of the respondents, who also commented that they wanted to see more of the bicycle patrols out in the community. There were only two programs, “Criminal Internal Compliance Process” and a grant-funded “Radkids” that respondents did not appear to have an awareness of. The survey concluded that the police department is doing an “adequate” job of promoting its programs.

There were 12 “Quality of Life” issues listed in the survey, which respondents were also asked to rate using a LIKERT scale from 1 to 5. In their rating, respondents were also asked to to provide their assessment of the manner in which the Pawtucket Police Department addresses each issue.

The survey noted that a positive rating of 95 percent to the question regarding safety walking through their neighborhood during the day was significant. However, the negative rating of 42 percent to the question regarding safety walking through their neighborhood at night reflects a substantial concern among Pawtucket residents.

The survey also stated that the positive rating of 93 percent to the question regarding safety in the home demonstrates a “significant sense of security among Pawtucket residents while in their home.” It also noted that the positive ratings of 85 percent and 81 percent, respectively, in response to “If You Feel Your Neighborhood is a Safe Environment to Raise Your Children” and “If You Feel Your Children are Safe at School” appear to reflect “a feeling of safety among the citizens of Pawtucket.”

In the category of “Police Presence,” 52 percent ranked it as “Satisfactory,” 10 percent “Excellent” and 38 percent in “Needs Improvement.” According to the survey, the 38 percent response to “Needs Improvement” should be interpreted as evidence that the respondents have confidence in the Pawtucket Police Department and are requesting an increased presence.

The survey further noted that the responses, comments and interviews specifically requested increased bicycle and foot patrols in neighborhoods throughout the city. The areas requested most frequently were Newport/Central Ave., Tweed Street, Power Road, Smithfield Avenue, and the Darlington, Oak Hill and Woodlawn neighborhoods.

“In conclusion, we believe that the residents of Pawtucket are supportive of their police department,” the survey stated. It added that the Pawtucket Police Department “can be encouraged by the overall approval of those citizens that they serve who gave them positive approval ratings in every aspect of their operations.”

Like Chief Kelley, Patrol Commander Bruce Moreau said that he and the other commanding officers and the department as a whole were pleased with the survey results. Of the police department's quest for accreditation, Moreau said, “It's a good blueprint for what we should and shouldn't be doing and keeps us in line with generally accepted practices around the country.” As to the few negatives that came out of the survey, he said it was valuable to “show us the areas we can continue to work on.”

For instance, he noted that when it comes to police officers dealing with the public, much has to do with training. “It's not a matter of negative discipline. It's just training,” said Moreau. He noted that, especially with the newer officers just out of the police academy, they have the basic skills set, but sometimes need some additional support when it comes to applying what they have learned to real-life scenarios.

Moreau acknowledged that there are concerns about school violence, and particularly “gang” activity. He said, however, that grant money received last year will allow for the School Resource Officers to continue in the high schools and a program called GREAT that is specifically geared towards promoting gang resistance education remains in place at the junior high schools.

Moreau said that while there does appear to be some gang-related crimes and activity in the city, most are more about “turf” issues rather than the more organized gangs that finance their activities with robberies and other crimes. He also expressed some surprise that the response about speeding was ranked so highly as a concern among residents “when we've spent so much time and effort on enforcement.”

As to the call for more foot and bicycle patrols, Moreau said there are plans to put more bicycle patrols in place starting in May. He said that while people tend to think that a police officer “walking the beat” makes a neighborhood safer, the bike patrols are actually much more practical and efficient as a crime deterrent and allow for a wider territory to be covered.

Plus, while the survey showed that “Racial/Ethnic Relations” received a high positive ranking, Moreau said that the police department continues to work with community leaders and places like the Woodlawn Community Development Center and other local organizations to keep the lines of communication open.