NCJ Number
146694
Journal
Law and Order Volume: 41 Issue: 12 Dated: (December 1993) Pages: 37-40
Date Published
1993
Length
4 pages
Annotation
A Florida police department's application of business concepts to service is featured.
Abstract
In 1990, the Clearwater Police Department and the Clearwater City Managers' Office developed a 32-question mail survey to assess "customer" satisfaction--that is, citizens' satisfaction with the police department--and as well, to gauge public concerns and expectations on law and order issues. It was reasoned that use of traditional measures, such as phone-ins and letters, would tend to draw upon only extremely positive and extremely negative opinions, and leave out the vast middle. In 1990, 1991, and 1992, steady proportions in excess of 75 percent agreed with the following statements: 1) I feel safe in my neighborhood; 2) [Clearwater] is a safe place in which to travel, live, work, and conduct business; and 3) I would feel comfortable calling the Clearwater Police Department for assistance. On those three questions, the only significant change was a decrease in the proportion who disagree about feeling safe in their neighborhood--from 14.9 percent in 1990 to 9.5 percent in 1992.