Southington PD Gets High Marks For Service: Survey

SOUTHINGTON, CT — Generally speaking, the Southington Police Department is receiving good grades from the community, according to the results of a survey unveiled this week.

The Southington Town Council Monday received an in-depth presentation about the survey from Southington Police Chief Jack Daly.

"Our goal when we did the survey was to gather valuable feedback from Southington's local residents, business owners and commuters," Daly said, adding those results will allow the department to tweak how it conducts police operations in the community.

And while the sample size of those responding wasn't massive, the results of those responding show a general level of satisfaction with town police operations.

Earlier in the summer, the town distributed information about the online survey via social media, emails, local news media and community websites, with the survey period being July 16 to Aug. 21.

A total of 1,673 survey responses were registered, with about 1,045 of those providing valid data and being at least 80 percent complete.

The goal was, simply, to gather feedback about the level of police services in town.

Suggestions were sought out about what needed to be improved and what was working fine.

Some of the more noteworthy survey results were:

• 70 percent of survey respondents identified as female, with 30 percent male.

• 86 percent of respondents were white, 2.8 percent Hispanic, 1.9 percent Asian, 0.8 percent Black; and 8.4 percent not identifying a race.

• 61.3 percent of survey takers said the police response to a call was faster than expected or what was expected.

• As far as interaction, 96 percent reported being treated with professionalism and respect.

• Specific items mentioned as "needing improvement" were: neighborhood patrols (32.1 percent); traffic control enforcement (18.7 percent); and crime prevention programs (17.6 percent).

• In all, 89 percent of respondents gave "excellent" or "good" marks to the level of service provided by the SPD, according to the survey's results.

• Regarding safety or how safe they feel in town, most of those reporting feeling unsafe were women, with 14.5 percent of female respondents saying they didn't feel safe on local rails to trails; 6.4 percent of females feeling unsafe during the day; and 31.8 percent of women feeling unsafe while alone at night.

Male results for the above situations were 7.4 percent for rails to trails; 1.9 percent for daytime hours; and 13.8 percent while alone at night.

• Issues of concern in Southington were car break-ins; car thefts; juvenile substance abuse; traffic enforcement; and police presence worries regarding coverage/patrols.

Police officials said all of the data will be analyzed by the administration and reviewed for inclusion in future law enforcement policy revisions and actions.

The survey report also indicates the SPD will regularly seek out community feedback in the future.

And, Daly said, the SPD will continue to set high standards while hiring police officers.

"We take the best of the best," said Daly. "We don't just settle for putting a body in the seat. We've had a lot of success and we appreciate that."

No council decisions were made regarding the survey or the presentation on Monday, but members had, basically, kind words for the SPD.

Southington Town Council Chairperson Victoria Triano said such surveys are not always easy to do, because the results might not always paint a rosy picture.

But, she said, they're necessary.

Said Triano: "It takes a bit of courage for anyone to open themselves up like your survey did. And I'm very very thankful that you have. It takes a person who is willing to not only take the good, but also to work on the stuff that is not as good."

To see the full Southington Police Community Survey report, click on this link.