Virginia Beach Police Officer Direct Contact Survey (From Comprehensive Evaluation of Phase One of the Virginia Beach, Virginia Police Department's Integrated Criminal Apprehension Program, P 89-119, 1980, by Wolfgang Pindur et al - See NCJ-73102)

• NCJ Number: 73105
• Author(s): W Pindur; A Nadkarni; J Jones
• Date Published: 1980
• Length: 31 pages
• Grant Number(s): 78-DF-AX-0195
• Sponsoring Agency: US Dept of Justice; Virginia Beach Division of Police
• Sale Source: National Institute of Justice/; NCJRS Photocopy Services
• Publication Type: Program/Project Evaluation
• Language: English
• Country: United States of America
• Note: NCJ-73105 is available on microfiche as NCJ-73102.

Annotation

A survey of Virginia Beach, Va., citizens who asked that a police officer take an offense report in person was conducted during May 1979, to determine these citizens' level of satisfaction with service received.

Abstract

The survey was based on a random sample of 131 offense reports taken by police officers between February 15, 1979 and March 15, 1979. All the reports could have been handled by telephone. The survey questionnaire contained 28 questions. Destruction of property was the offense most frequently reported, followed by petit larceny and grand larceny in that order. Results showed that none of the respondents had any difficulty contacting the police department. A total of 94 percent of the citizens were satisfied with the police response time. Citizens were also generally very satisfied with the patrol officers' actions after arrival. Most were satisfied with the actions taken and felt that the officer was polite, helpful, and respectful. After contact with an officer, citizens' opinions of the police tended to become more favorable. A comparison of these survey results with those of a similar survey of citizens contacting the department's Telephone Reporting Unit showed that citizens are highly satisfied with both types of contact. To improve the process of taking reports in person, it is recomended that care be taken to prevent expectations of immediate responses to the types of offenses involved in this study. In addition, police officers should make crime prevention suggestions as part of the report-taking process, advise the citizens of action that may be taken in response to their report and point out followup actions they themselves can take. Tables are included. This evaluation was part of a larger evaluation of the department's Integrated Criminal Apprehension Program, which was designed to upgrade the patrol system, focus efforts on serious crimes and crimes committed by serious offenders, and increase citizen satisfaction with the department. (Author abstract modified)