Survey To Gauge Public's Trust In Meriden Police

MERIDEN, CT — Meriden police are launching a survey to gauge public trust and sentiment toward police and public safety issues, according to a statement. The city is partnering with Zencity, a technology company that has worked with other law enforcement agencies in cities like Chicago, Phoenix, Seattle and Sacramento.

“Making decisions on public safety should involve input from the public, and this new tool allows us to do just that,” City Manager Tim Coon said in a statement. “These surveys will have a much broader reach into our communities by putting it on the apps the people use most. While we’ve collected extensive data over the years, this tool gives us a chance to connect with residents quickly and directly, offering us real time sentiments. This will be a great step toward really understanding the needs and concerns of our residents to make the best decisions for the future of public safety in our city.”

Starting next week, surveys translated into English and Spanish will begin to appear to Meriden residents through the use of digital ads in various locations such as news websites, social media platforms, blogs and apps.

Based on responses, the tool will measure the safety and trust residents have in their communities, while also identifying key concerns residents want the police to address.

“This survey allows us to engage and collaborate with our community in new ways,” Police Chief Roberto Rosado said in a statement. “It will help us understand how residents across Meriden feel about police in their communities, make improvements based on that feedback, and monitor how that sentiment changes over time.”

The survey is expected to take under five minutes to complete. Questions asked include:

• When it comes to the threat of crime, how safe do you feel in your neighborhood? Please indicate on a scale of 0 (not safe at all) to 10 (completely safe).
• How much do you agree with this statement? The police in my neighborhood treat local residents with respect. (Level of agreement from 0-10)
• How much do you agree with this statement? The police in my neighborhood listen to and take into account the concerns of local residents. (Level of agreement from 0-10)
• To what extent do you agree with the following statement: The police in my neighborhood are effective at solving problems and protecting the community.
• What is the number one issue or problem on your block or in your neighborhood that you would like the police to deal with? Please be specific. [Open-ended response]

The survey is completely anonymous and does not gather or track personal data of respondents.

The survey will typically gather 1,200 responses from Meriden, Connecticut, residents each year, across all police divisions. Then police will work with Zencity to create public dashboards on the trust and sentiment expressed by residents to a page on the MPD website, similar to those shared by the Seattle Police Department.