NCJ Number
182100
Journal
Policing: An International Journal of Police Strategies & Management Volume: 23 Issue: 1 Dated: 2000 Pages: 22-36
Editor(s)
Lawrence F. Travis III
Date Published
2000
Length
15 pages
Annotation
A survey conducted in the Regional Municipality of Sudbury, Ontario, Canada, indicated that overall citizen satisfaction with the police was predicted by such variables as service delivery, handling problem situations, and interpersonal skills.
Abstract
Citizens were asked to complete a survey, either personally or by answering surveyor questions. The first section of the questionnaire covered 11 socioeconomic variables, and the second section measured 20 policing variables. Overall satisfaction with the police was assessed by asking how citizens rated police services in their area. General satisfaction with police services was high, with almost 75 percent of citizens rating their satisfaction as good or excellent. Citizen satisfaction was predicted primarily by three policing variables: service delivery, handling problem situations, and interpersonal skills. Discriminant analysis showed night walking safety depended on personal factors such as gender, home ownership, employment, age, and police visibility and on policing variables such as handling problem situations and seriousness of problems in neighborhoods. A profile of the unsafe walker at night is presented, and implications of the findings for police program planning and service delivery are discussed. An appendix lists variables included in the statistical analysis. 47 references and 2 tables