REPORT TO COUNCIL
SUBJECT
Title
Presentation and Discussion of Results from My90 Satisfaction Survey of the Santa Clara Police Department
Report
BACKGROUND
In an effort to help strengthen the relationship between our community and law enforcement, the Santa Clara Police Department (SCPD) partnered with the Silicon Valley Community Foundation (SVCF) for grant funding to facilitate a year-long project to engage residents regarding their view of police, community trust, perceptions of public safety (e.g. crime trends and statistics) and satisfaction with community policing initiatives.
SVCF, formed in 2007, reported $13.5 billion in assets as of December 31, 2017, making it the largest community foundation in the world. SVCF partners with families, individuals and corporations to manage and facilitate their philanthropy, and is instrumental in addressing social issues, economic and environmental challenges in our communities; it serves as a resource for non-profit, civic, government and philanthropic organizations. On May 23, 2017, the City Council accepted a $30,000 grant from SVCF to fund this initiative on behalf of the SCPD.
My90 is an independent service provider for law enforcement agencies specializing in collecting community feedback, analyzing data and communicating the results to both the Department and the broader community. The project included the following services over the course of 12-months:
• Facilitate a community panel to provide direct feedback on the citywide survey, how panelists formed their opinions of police, reactions to quantitative data, quotes and prominent news items;
• Administer a community survey to quantify and assess local trust levels, perceptions of safety and other satisfaction indicators;
• Lead focus groups with targeted groups underrepresented in the citywide survey to supplement quantitative findings;
• Conduct a Citizens Policing Workshop;
• Extensive community outreach encouraging participation in the above initiatives; and,
• Translation services to offer written materials in English, Spanish and Vietnamese.
DISCUSSION
This year-long project is an exceptional effort on behalf of a law enforcement agency to engage the community, utilizing the following strategies, to learn more about the opinions and concerns in the community and design a clear action plan moving forward.
|
Date |
Initiative to Engage Panelists, Residents and Business Owners |
|
July, 2017 |
Community Panel - questionnaire #1 |
|
August, 2017 |
National Night Out |
|
September, 2017 |
Santa Clara Art and Wine Festival My90 presentation at SCPD Citizens’ Police Academy Citywide survey Community Panel - questionnaire #2 |
|
November, 2017 |
Community Panel - questionnaire #3 |
|
January, 2018 |
Focus group #1 Community Panel - questionnaire #4 |
|
March, 2018 |
Focus group #2 Citizens Policing Workshop Community Panel - questionnaire #5 |
|
April, 2018 |
Community Panel - questionnaire #6 |
Over the course of the year, My90 utilized a variety of free and paid means to communicate with the public and encourage participation, including attendance at citywide special events (National Night Out, Santa Clara Art and Wine Festival, Senior Center Ice Cream Social) and distribution on the City website, SCPD webpage, Cable Channel 15, Inside Santa Clara, eNotify, Nixle, Nextdoor, Facebook and Twitter. Flyers were displayed in City facilities (e.g. libraries, Youth Activity Center, Community Recreation Center, Senior Center, Teen Center, etc.) and Peachjar was utilized to distribute flyers throughout Santa Clara Unified School District. The SCPD shared information about this initiative with current and past Citizens’ Police Academy participants. In addition, police officers had business cards to distribute to residents encouraging participation. Finally, My90 posted information on Google AdWords and Facebook to Santa Clara residents interested in policing, social justice and local government.
The attached Results, Analysis and Conclusions (Attachment 1) prepared by My90 summarizes the outreach, quantitative and qualitative feedback, and takeaways from each initiative. Overall, the feedback collected from the 330 citywide survey participants, community panelists and event attendees were very positive. 92.4% of the weighted sample felt the police were very or somewhat trustworthy, 87.3% who had an interaction with police were very or somewhat satisfied, 85.0% said the police responded very or somewhat quickly to their call for service, request, or inquiry and 93.6% of respondents thought their neighborhood was very safe or somewhat safe. A majority of people who communicated with the Santa Clara Police Department preferred various social media including Nextdoor. 33.0% in the weighted sample thought property crime was the local issue that needed the most attention. Of those, 48.9% thought residential burglaries were the most pressing type of property crime.
The demographic breakdown of respondents provides some insight to segments of the community the Santa Clara Police Department may be less connected. My90 recommends that the Santa Clara Police Department focus on the Asian, African American and young populations in Santa Clara who were less likely to provide feedback throughout the course of the project.
A handful of participants shared dissatisfaction with the police and were harsh in their criticism. These participants lacked trust, believed the police did not have their community’s best interest at heart and were concerned that existing engagement initiatives were disingenuous. While this may not be how the majority of our community feels about their local law enforcement, these perceptions are real and can have a significant impact on the community.
The main takeaway of this effort is that residents who had differing opinions about the police ultimately had the same community concerns and similar suggestions for improving police community engagement moving forward. The primary community concerns noted were property crimes, traffic, homelessness, parking and mental health. Some participants were also concerned about how officers interacted with the broader community, with many suggesting that officers should go out of their way to introduce themselves when in public in order to build trust. Above all, participants want genuine efforts from police officers to reach out and engage.
This project has been an unprecedented effort by the SCPD to engage our community using a variety of strategies. Moving forward, it is crucial that the Santa Clara Police Department continues this momentum by listening to the suggestions from the community. While many participants suggested further events, it is also important for Santa Clara police officers to reach out to communities outside of these events. Intentionally focusing on day-to-day interactions has a chance to improve the perception of community members who are more likely to distrust the police.
Additionally, SCPD leadership can acknowledge any shortcomings in their department’s relationship with our community and lay out a clear action plan moving forward. The data, suggestions, and conclusions provided by the community and detailed in this report serve as a solid resource from which to draw ideas.
With this information, the SCPD has developed the following engagement plan, to build on the results of the project:
• Hire My90 to summarize the project results, analysis and conclusions with police department employees. Ask for staff buy-in, discuss preliminary next steps including ways each work group can enhance customer service/contacts and ask for additional recommendations to consider.
• Staff to develop a 10-15 member Chief’s Advisory Committee (CAC) comprised of a diverse cross-section of residents and business owners to meet quarterly to serve as a sounding board to the Chief. Initially, an invite will be extended to the individuals who participated on the My90 community panel with the balance of the spaces available to be appointed by the Chief. The CAC will serve as a non-Brown Act forum to discuss community concerns, serve as a resource to form strategies, further define what community policing means for our community and increase public awareness. The CAC will not have power or authority to investigate, review or otherwise participate in matters involving specific personnel or play a role in civil or criminal litigation.
• Staff to collaborate with the CAC to update the online Customer Satisfaction Form to be more user friendly and encourage regular, constructive feedback
• Staff to develop and communicate a Crisis Response and Communication Plan to provide a general framework of the investigation procedure as well as the coordination of communications with the City Manager’s Office, Public Information Officer, City Council, residents, businesses, visitors and the media in the event of an emergency or critical incident (e.g. natural disaster, shelter in place, officer involved shooting, protest, march or civil disturbance, etc.).
The draft Crisis Response and Communication Plan will be further vetted by the CAC and published to the community.
• Staff to communicate upcoming opportunities to connect with SCPD, including:
o Silicon Valley BBQ
o 4th of July All-City Picnic
o National Night Out
o Santa Clara Art and Wine Festival
o National Coffee with a Cop Day
o Halloween Party
o Trick-or-Treating at the Northside Substation
o Tree Lighting Ceremony
o Citizens’ Police Academy
o Coffee with a Cop
o Chat with the Chief
o Talk and Tour
o Critical Incident Prevention and Preparedness
ENVIRONMENTAL REVIEW
The action being considered does not constitute a “project” within the meaning of the California Environmental Quality Act (“CEQA”) pursuant to CEQA Guidelines section 15378(b)(5) in that it is a governmental organizational or administrative activity that will not result in direct or indirect changes in the environment.
FISCAL IMPACT
The cost to hire My90 to summarize the results among sworn personnel and civilian professionals will be approximately $2,200.00. This cost will be absorbed in the SCPD’s training budget.
At this time, there are no additional costs anticipated to the City, other than staff time and supplies to support the meetings, to facilitate the CAC.
COORDINATION
This report has been coordinated with the Finance Department and City Attorney’s Office.
PUBLIC CONTACT
Public contact was made by posting the Council agenda on the City’s official-notice bulletin board outside City Hall Council Chambers. A complete agenda packet is available on the City’s website and in the City Clerk’s Office at least 72 hours prior to a Regular Meeting and 24 hours prior to a Special Meeting. A hard copy of any agenda report may be requested by contacting the City Clerk’s Office at (408) 615-2220, email clerk@santaclaraca.gov <mailto:clerk@santaclaraca.gov> or at the public information desk at any City of Santa Clara public library.
RECOMMENDATION
Recommendation
Note and file the My90 Satisfaction Survey and direct the City Manager to provide periodic updates on the implementation of the community engagement plan.
Staff
Reviewed by: Michael J. Sellers, Chief of Police
Approved by: Deanna J. Santana, City Manager
ATTACHMENTS
1. My90 Final Report
2. Appendix A - November Citywide Survey Report
3. Appendix B - All Community Panel Response
4. Appendix C - Event Photos and Notes
5. Appendix D - Community Panel News Articles