Denver police want public safety feedback from people living in all 78 neighborhoods
The Denver Police Department is seeking input on crime from people who live in all 78 Denver neighborhoods. From perceptions of violent and property crimes to opinions on law enforcement, the new public safety survey aims to capture it all.
The survey is now available for all who work and live in Denver and features 48 questions. The survey takes about 15-20 minutes to complete and it is available in 13 languages, ensuring accessibility for everyone.
DPD Director of Communications Doug Schepman believes this is a way to understand how people perceive their neighborhoods.
"We are always monitoring crime data trends, but we want to go beyond that and hear from every neighborhood in our city," said Schepman.
Denver police want to understand community concerns firsthand from those they serve. Schepman adds they would like to see maximum participation from the public on this survey.
"We want to get as much participation as possible for this survey so that it can have the greatest impact on us serving those neighborhoods," said Schepman.
According to Denver police, the city has seen a slight decrease in overall crime within the last year. A 3% drop in violent crimes, a 10% decrease in property crime and a notable 20% decline in auto thefts citywide. However, police understand these numbers fluctuate between neighborhoods.
New Denver resident Sadie Johnson, who moved to the city a couple of months ago, finds the area unsafe.
"I feel like there are a lot of homeless people around my building and just yesterday my building was shot up so I wouldn't say it is that safe," added Johnson.
Despite current challenges, Johnson believes participating in the survey is a step toward making her voice heard.
The survey, which will be available online until Dec. 8, gauges community perceptions of public safety, addressing trust in police and fear of crime. While also asking about resident participation in public safety initiatives, such as neighborhood watch, police advisory councils, community meetings, etc., neighborhood social cohesion/connections and perception of low-level misdemeanor/public order crimes.
Dr. Jaqueline Helfgott, director of the Seattle University Crime and Justice Research Center, has conducted the same survey in Seattle for nine years.
"We did have an increase in police legitimacy and a decrease in fear of crime and I am not necessarily saying it is in direct to us collecting data in the survey, but having that data allows us to compare the data and crime rates," said Helfgott.
Data Denver police hope to use to make improvements.
"It is a way for us to learn better and right now we don't have a way to gauge on a broader scale people's perception of the neighborhoods," said Schepman.
Once the survey closes, Helfgott and her research team will spend up to three months looking and analyzing the data. Once the findings are complete, DPD will examine the data and evaluate the areas of concern while also working to create solutions for those neighborhoods.
Residents, business/property owners and those who work in Denver can access the survey at DenverPublicSafetySurvey.org. The survey can also be accessed via this QR code. DPD will also promote the survey through its social media, through signage in every Denver neighborhood, and through grassroots outreach to neighborhood organizations and community stakeholders.
The Denver Public Safety Survey and future neighborhood safety plans are based on the model created through the partnership between Seattle University and the City of Seattle where for nine years the partners have been collecting survey data and developing neighborhood safety plans.
