Police Satisfaction Survey Shows Residents Feel Safe, With Some Room For Improvement

PRINCE WILLIAM COUNTY, VA — Prince William County residents generally feel safe in their communities, according to the latest community satisfaction report from the Prince William County Police Department.

The survey was conducted by Logit | i+a, and conducted of phone interviews with 800 residents in March and April 2023. The county commissioned similar surveys in 2018 and 2020. The surveys are required for national accreditation through the Commission on Accreditation for Law Enforcement Agencies, Inc.

"Prince William County residents were very positive about the quality of life in the community and rated each of the metrics designed to gauge their satisfaction with the performance of the Police Department high," the report said.

According to the survey, 97 percent of respondents said they felt safe in their neighborhood, while 95 percent of respondents noted feeling safe in commercial areas. About 95 percent of residents surveyed said they were satisfied with the police department's performance.

"Historically, conducting community surveys have been used to gauge individual views and experiences," the police department said in a news release. "The results provide another opportunity for our agency to receive feedback on the delivery of police services and how we are doing. Surveys are another tool to help guide decision making on where we need to focus our resources to improve police services."

The survey also allowed residents to voice areas for improvement within the police department. The most common request from residents was an increase in police officers and patrols and more community outreach efforts.

The Dale City area was least satisfied with police officer's behavior and attitudes, according to the report. The 22193 zip code saw 72 percent of respondents saying they were very satisfied with police officers' attitudes and behaviors, a 10 percent drop from 2020.

The complete report also included demographic data for the survey. The average survey respondent was 46 years old and made $120,000 per year.

In 2020 and 2023, the survey has tracked the sexuality of survey respondents. In both years, 96 percent of people who responded to the survey were straight.

Among survey takers, there were 278 white respondents, 212 Hispanic residents, 145 Black residents, and 78 Asian survey respondents.

More detailed information from the police department's community satisfaction survey is available online.