By Mike Maciag
A recent survey shows how Americans feel about the job police are doing and how they can improve.
Tensions between police and the citizens they serve continue to concern Americans, as illustrated in the latest incident resulting in riots in Baltimore Monday.
Perceptions of police loom as a key consideration as agencies look to strengthen ties with communities and, in many areas, consider body-worn cameras and other new technology. A recent survey by Accenture, a management consulting and technology firm, attempted to answer questions assessing citizens’ expectations for police and how agencies can improve.
The vast majority of the 2,000 adults surveyed indicated they felt safe in their communities, but 76 percent still reported room for improvement. The survey, conducted in late 2014, was limited to 14 of the nation’s larger metro areas; the results are not representative of the country as a whole.
Community policing-related efforts preferred
Which of the following, if any, do you believe the police in your neighborhood need more of to improve their overall effectiveness?
More community participation in crime reduction efforts: 45%
More police on the street: 43%
Surveillance equipment (i.e. video cameras at crime hot spots): 40%
Systems to improve response times for calls to police: 37%
Tools to collect information from citizens (crime tips, photos, video): 33%
Communications & data sharing with other public safety/emergency services: 29%
Technology that automates processes: 26%
Data analysis to better predict crime and identify trouble situations: 26%
Smartphones, tablets, laptops for faster information access: 22%
Other: 5%
SOURCE: Accenture U.S. Citizen Survey Research
Accenture asked respondents to identify steps police could take to be more effective. While no response received a majority of votes, results suggest community policing efforts enjoy particularly strong support. Lower scores for technology-related improvements may have resulted from citizens’ unfamiliarity of how tools work and their potential benefits, according to the report.
Young adults more wary of police technology
Younger adults tend to be more tech savvy than those nearing retirement. But the survey results suggest it’s older Americans who are more accepting of newer tools and technology police departments are deploying. While the majority of all age groups surveyed said both in-car and body cameras were “very acceptable,” both had strong support from roughly three-quarters of residents age 55 and older.
Respondents expressed similar views across all age groups on more controversial tools like military-grade weapons and drones. Sixty percent of all respondents reported military-grade weapons were “somewhat” or “very” acceptable (about a third said they were “very” acceptable), while 57 percent thought the same of drones.
QUESTION: In your opinion, how acceptable are each of the following for use by the police in your neighborhood?
Options: very acceptable, somewhat acceptable, not very acceptable, not at all acceptable. Results shown for those responding “very acceptable.”
| Technology/Tool | Age 18-34 | Age 35-54 | Age 55+ |
|---|---|---|---|
| In-car cameras | 61% | 74% | 77% |
| Wearable cameras (worn by officers) | 56% | 67% | 73% |
| Protective body armor | 56% | 66% | 74% |
| Wearable computers & "smartwatches" | 47% | 58% | 60% |
| Satellite location / mapping technologies | 47% | 56% | 61% |
| Neighborhood cameras | 43% | 46% | 49% |
| Military-grade weapons/vehicles (for serious threat/disaster) | 32% | 36% | 35% |
| Drones (to view specific area) | 25% | 27% | 26% |
SOURCE: Accenture U.S. Citizen Survey Research
Where there’s room for improvement
The vast majority of those surveyed (85 percent) indicated they were either “very” or “somewhat” satisfied with police services. Still, most residents identified at least one area in need of improvement. Reducing crime and partnering with residents, by a slight margin, were the top two identified factors needing at least some improvement.
The survey also found that respondents living in cities were more likely (87 percent) to indicate police agencies had room for improvement than those living in suburbs (68 percent).
Lots of room: Some room: Not much need: No need to improve
Response quickly to crime/emergencies: 20%: 30%: 28%: 18%
Maintaining safety: 16%: 35%: 32%: 16%
Improving relations with residents: 22%: 33%: 27%: 14%
Solving crimes: 19%: 36%: 25%: 9%
Partnering with residents to address problems/ reduce crime: 22%: 35%: 24%: 12%
Reducing crime: 22%: 36%: 29%: 10%
SOURCE: Accenture U.S. Citizen Survey Research
(Results not shown for those responding “don’t know.”)
Citizens report they’re willing to collaborate
The Accenture survey further attempted to gauge residents’ preferences for collaborating with police. Results suggest the majority of residents are open to working with police but are most likely to do so anonymously. Many larger departments allow citizens to submit anonymous tips on websites, phone apps or via text messaging.
A fairly large share of residents also expressed interest in community-policing related activities, such as neighborhood watch programs.
Which of the following, if any, would you be willing to do to collaborate with the police in your neighborhood?
Anonymously reporting crime/ problems through digital channels: 67%
Anonymously reporting crime/ problems via landline phone: 60%
Participating in neighborhood watch program: 52%
Attending community policing meetings to share ideas/ problem solve: 48%
Strategizing with police to solve problems in neighborhood: 44%
Participate in “safe passage”, providing students w/ monitored routes: 38%
None of the above: 3%
Don’t know: 2%
Other: 1%
SOURCE: Accenture U.S. Citizen Survey Research
