1999 Palmer Lake Police Services Survey
Report on Findings and Comparisons
February 29, 2000
Town of Palmer Lake
Palmer Lake Marshals Office

Table of Contents

Introduction

Purpose
Methodology
Acknowledgments

Highlights of Findings

Demographics
Perception of Safety and Security
Neighborhood Crimes and Concerns
Reported Satisfaction: General Police Services
Reported Satisfaction: Contact with Police Services
Reported Satisfaction: Police Services Programs/Initiatives
Non-Emergency Reporting Alternatives
Community Involvement Suggestions
Importance of Police Services Programs/Initiatives
On Increasing the Police Services Budget to Maintain Staff and Services

Citizen Comments

General Police Services
Neighborhood Crimes and Concerns
Suggestions for Police Services Programs/Initiatives
Community Involvement Suggestions
Police Services Budget to Maintain Professional Staff

Introduction

Purpose

The primary purpose for conducting the "Palmer Lake Police Services Survey" in the Fall/Winter of 1999 was to determine Palmer Lake citizens' perceptions and concerns of the overall quality of the police services provided in the community. We hoped to not only reveal the levels of satisfaction with current police services, but to also solicit the opinions of community members concerning future directions and programs that they would like to see implemented through the Palmer Lake Marshals Office.

Focusing on the perceived quality and importance of police services and delivery helps the Palmer Lake Town Council, police administrators, and the public to set decision-making priorities regarding budgets, staffing, time and effort expenditures, and general planning procedures. A more important benefit of having gathered this information, however, is that it establishes a baseline for tracking community opinions and customer satisfaction into the future, and begins to define the kind of police services that the citizens of Palmer Lake want and deserve. This survey generates a reliable foundation of resident opinion that can be monitored periodically over the coming years, as Palmer Lake grows, changes, and faces new challenges.

Table of Contents

Methodology

The Palmer Lake Police Services Survey was mailed to a random sample of 300 Palmer Lake residents early in October 1999. A total of 148 surveys was completed and returned for analysis. After excluding four undeliverable surveys (bad addresses, non-residential address, no resident, etc.), the procedure produced a final response rate of 75.51% (148 returned surveys out of 196 mail-outs). This represents a very good response rate, and certainly indicates the level of interest within the Palmer Lake community concerning police services.

Responses from the returned surveys were aggregated for analysis, and no attempt was made to connect responses to particular respondents. The identity of respondents was not required, nor solicited, and any Palmer Lake citizens who may have inadvertently identified themselves on the returned surveys or envelopes are assured of maintained anonymity.

Representing approximately 7.4% of the population of Palmer Lake (estimated at 2000), these 148 surveys produce results that are statistically reliable within ±8.0 percent, at the 95 percent confidence level. This means that there is a 95 percent chance that the responses from the survey are within ±8.0 percentage points of how the entire town of Palmer Lake would respond if everyone in the town had completed the survey. Another way of looking at this is as follows: if 52% of the survey respondents say, "I always feel safe and secure in Palmer Lake," then 95 times out every 100 times that this survey is administered, the percentage for the entire population that says this will fall between 44% and 60%.

Table of Contents

Acknowledgments

The Palmer Lake Office would like to thank the Loveland (Colorado) Police Department for sharing the time and expertise of Crime Analyst, Steven G. Helmericks, Ph.D., for use on this project. Dr. Helmericks and I spent many long hours conceptualizing, discussing, and conducting the various procedural steps of this effort, and the generosity and professional courtesy of the Loveland Police Department is greatly appreciated. I would also like to thank the Palmer Lake Marshals Office deputies who took time out of their schedules to contribute ideas to this effort.

A special thanks goes to Town Administrative Clerk Tara Trujillo, who worked tirelessly to prepare the survey for mailing. Also, I would like to thank PLMO volunteers Ms. Liz Fleenor and Mr. Jim Cooper for their valuable assistance in the final phases of the project. The efforts of these good citizens facilitated the process of data collection and recording, and illustrated well the regard and sense of community that we share here in Palmer Lake.

Most importantly, I want to thank the citizens of Palmer Lake who took the time to complete and return surveys for analysis. All citizen responses and comments were noted and taken seriously. I will make every effort to address these concerns, and will continue to build partnerships in Palmer Lake that will help to provide all citizens with the police services they want and deserve.

Sincerely,
Dale T. Smith, Marshal
Palmer Lake Marshals Office
1999-2000 Palmer Lake Police Services Survey

Table of Contents

Highlights of Findings

Demographics

• Half of all respondents to the survey have lived in Palmer Lake less than 8 years; half of all respondents have lived in Palmer Lake more than 8 years.
• About 3% of all respondents indicated that they lived in the Northeast part of Palmer Lake; 33% reported that they lived in the Northwest part of the town; nearly 50% of all respondents came from the Southwest part of Palmer Lake; about 14% of the respondents reported that they lived in the Southeast part of the town (the map below was used in the survey: 1 = Northeast; 2 = Northwest; 3 = Southwest; 4 = Southeast).

Click on the map for bigger version

• Approximately 62% of all respondents were females; 38% of respondents were males.
• About 34% of the respondents reported that they have children between the ages of 5-16 who were attending schools in Palmer Lake.
• Only 7% of the respondents were 19-30 years old; 33% were 31-42 years old; approximately 39% were 43-54 years of age; about 13% of those returning surveys were 55-66 years old; just over 8% of respondents indicated that they were age 67 or older.

Table of Contents

Perception of Safety and Security

• The majority of Palmer Lake respondents--approximately 52%--reported that they "always feel safe and secure," with approximately 47% indicating that they "feel safe and secure most of the time."

Table of Contents

Neighborhood Crimes and Concerns

• In order of importance, the top six crimes and/or concerns in Palmer Lake (as determined by the number of respondents who indicated that they occurred "sometimes," "almost constantly," or "constantly" in their neighborhoods) are:

• In addition to the structured survey items, the following activities/concerns were also written in as "other" problems in respondent neighborhoods:

• Nearly 8% of the respondents (who answered this question) reported that other criminal activity had taken place in their neighborhood over the past 12 months, that they had not reported to the police.

Table of Contents

Reported Satisfaction: General Police Services

• Nearly 94% of respondents reported that they are satisfied with the frequency of patrol by squad cars in their Palmer Lake neighborhoods.
• About 99% of respondents reported that they are satisfied with the general level of police services in their Palmer Lake neighborhoods.
• Just over 67% of the respondents had made contact with the Palmer Lake Marshals Office over the previous 12 months.

Table of Contents

Reported Satisfaction: Contact with Police Services

• Of the 15 respondents who had called 911 for emergency services in the last 12 months, 87% were satisfied with the service, while 7% were dissatisfied; 7% indicated a neutral opinion.
• Of the 56 respondents who had called for a non-emergency service in the last 12 months, 80% were satisfied, 7% were dissatisfied, and 13% were neutral.
• Of the 65 respondents who had dealt with the marshal or a Deputy marshal in the last 12 months, 82% were satisfied with the level of service provided, 8% were dissatisfied, and 11% were neutral.
• Of the 54 respondents who had spoken with the marshal or a Deputy marshal on the phone in the last 12 months, 87% expressed satisfaction, 4% were dissatisfied, and 9% were neutral.
• Of the 9 respondents who had been stopped by the marshal or a Deputy marshal and issued a citation in that last 12 months, only 22% were satisfied with the level of service, 33% were dissatisfied, and 44% were neutral.
• Of the 18 respondents who had been stopped by the marshal or a Deputy marshal but not issued a citation in the last 12 months, 78% were satisfied with the service provided, 6% were dissatisfied, and 17% had no opinion one way or another.
• Of the 11 people returning surveys who had made contact with a civilian employee at the Marshals Office in the last 12 months, about 82% reported being satisfied with the level of service provided; 9% were dissatisfied, and approximately 9% were neutral.
• Of the 11 respondents who had assisted a Marshals Office employee in a job-task in the last 12 months, about 73% reported being satisfied with the service provided; 9% were dissatisfied, and approximately 18% were neutral on the question.

Table of Contents

Reported Satisfaction: Police Services Programs/Initiatives

• Approximately 80% of the respondents were satisfied with the Marshals Office quick response to emergency situations, while 4% were dissatisfied, and 16% were neutral.
• About 79% were satisfied with the Marshals Office efforts of crime control in respondents' neighborhoods, with 6% being dissatisfied and 16% having no strong opinion one way of the other.
• Approximately 66% were satisfied with the Marshals Office in terms of its assistance with nuisance issues; 15% were not satisfied; 19% were neutral.
• In terms of the Marshal Office's offering of crime prevention advice, 73% of respondents expressed satisfaction with such services, while 11% were dissatisfied, and 16% were neutral.
• Approximately 70% of the people returning surveys were satisfied with the Marshals Office understanding of community concerns, with 8% reporting dissatisfaction and 22% indicating they were neutral on the question.
• About 75% of respondents were satisfied with the Marshals Office fair and equal treatment of citizens, with 9% indicating dissatisfaction, and 16% being neutral.
• In terms of the Marshals Office handling of citizen complaints, 73% expressed satisfaction, 10% expressed dissatisfaction, and 18% were neutral.

Table of Contents

Non-Emergency Reporting Alternatives

• In non-emergency situations, 92% of respondents found it acceptable for the marshal or Marshals deputies to schedule an appointment to meet citizens at a later time to take a report.
• In non-emergency situations, 88% of respondents found it acceptable to register a report over the phone.
• In non-emergency situations, 62% of respondents reported that it would be acceptable to fill out a report and mail it to the Marshals Office.
• In non-emergency situations, only 46% of the survey respondents indicated that it would be acceptable to fill out a report and fax it to the Marshals Office.
• In non-emergency situations, 89% of respondents reported that it would be acceptable to make the report in person at the Marshals Office.
• About 6% of the respondents suggested that using the Internet would be another way to report relevant police information.

Table of Contents

Community Involvement Suggestions

• Approximately 52% of the respondents agreed that marshal and Marshals deputies should spend more time making personal contact with neighborhood residents and businesses instead of only responding to incidents as they occur; 13% disagreed, and 36% were neutral on the issue.
• Nearly 46% of the respondents agreed that the Marshals Office should get more involved in community programs (like school activities and scouting); 15% disagreed, and 39% were neutral.
• Almost 53% agreed that they felt comfortable contacting the Marshals Office to make suggestions or file complaints against Marshals Office employees; 18% disagreed (suggesting, perhaps, that they felt uncomfortable), and 29% were neutral.
• 96% agreed that improving public safety and the quality-of-life in Palmer Lake were the responsibilities of both citizens and the police; no respondents disagreed, and 4% were neutral.
• Approximately 81% of all respondents agreed that they would like to be informed of community policing activities in their neighborhoods; 3% disagreed, and 16% were neutral on the statement.
• Only 28% of the respondents agreed that marshal and Marshals deputies should receive cultural awareness training in order to better serve the minority populations in Palmer Lake; 28% disagreed with the need for such training, and 43% had no strong feelings one way or the other.

Table of Contents

Importance of Police Services Programs/Initiatives

(please see graph on following page concerning rankings for these programs/initiatives)

• 91% of respondents felt that community watch programs are important in Palmer Lake; 9% were neutral.
• Only 41% of the survey respondents felt that citizen ride-along programs are important in Palmer Lake; 17% felt that such programs are not important, and 41% were neutral on the issue.
• Approximately 56% of the respondents felt that K-9 programs are important; 12% felt that such programs were not important, and 31% had no feelings one way or the other.
• When asked to rate the importance of conflict resolution programs in Palmer Lake, 84% reported that they were important; 4% indicated that they were not important, and 13% were neutral.
• About 88% of the respondents felt that liquor enforcement (underage) programs are important to maintain or implement in Palmer Lake; only 2% said such programs were not important, and about 10% were neutral on the issue.
• Only 31% felt that foot patrol programs were important; 37% of the respondents felt that such programs were not important, and 31% had no strong feelings one way or the other.
• Nearly 67% of all survey respondents indicated that school resource officer programs were important; 8% suggested that these programs were not important; 25% indicated neutrality on the issue.
• Approximately 85% thought that crime prevention programs were important in Palmer Lake; 2% thought these programs were not important; 13% were neutral.

Table of Contents

On Increasing the Police Services Budget to Maintain Staff and Services

• Just over 89% of the survey respondents indicated that they would support an increase in the town's police services budget in order to retain quality personnel, and to maintain the level of police services in Palmer Lake.

Table of Contents

Citizen Comments

The final section of the 1999 Palmer Lake Police Services Survey is the "Citizen Comments" section. Survey respondents were offered several opportunities throughout the survey to include their written opinions for the Palmer Lake Marshals Office. The comments that citizens provided are offered below in their entirety, and have been categorized according to the topical areas addressed.

Table of Contents

General Police Services

• Dale, You & your staff do a great job. You are often placed in dangerous situations. I pray for your continued safety and well being. God Bless You.
• Over all I believe PLMO does a tremendous job.
• PLMO is a friendly yet powerful and effective policing agent for Palmer Lake. Their professional treatment in their myriad duties is a stellar example for other communities.
• The police have always responded immediately, and handled the situation courteously and satisfactorily. We love the atmosphere of Palmer Lake! And we appreciate the Police Dept.
• I think the Palmer Lake Police do a great job.
• We love this town and appreciate all you do for us. The survey is a great idea!
• My husband and I have been here in Palmer Lake for many years and feel very, very blessed that we have had Marshal Dale Smith all these years. I just hope he outlives us and that others will follow his example. My prayers are with him and his, as well as all our leaders and staff members and of course the fire department. We have a wonderful town - let's keep it that way. (God Bless You All)
• This survey seems a good idea - I hope people respond.
• Thank you for all you do for all of us in our wonderful community. Even if we are growing in leaps and bounds monthly! I love it here.

Table of Contents

Neighborhood Crimes and Concerns

• Much noise at the tennis courts in the glen. The tennis players need to know that their voices carry and their voices can be easily heard by houses near the courts. Also, the bang board (plywood) at tennis courts makes much noise. It should either be removed or changed to cinder block.
• I am tired of speeding cars past my house & dogs without any adult supervision leaving their bodily wastes on my yard.
• The only comment is along by 105 by the Lake early morning I see a lot of speeding from 4 - 7 am. The other item I see is 105 and Red Rock road, I see the stop sign not used in the same time frame from 5 - 7 am.
• With cars parked on the streets, no sidewalks, and so many children darting out into the roads, before long a child will be killed by a motorist in Palmer Lake!
• One primary source of community aggravation comes from a handful of young adolescent boys up the road who we don't trust and have vandalized our cars.
• I wish the Marshal and deputies would patrol my neighborhood more often after dark.
• We wish the police would actually ticket speeders on the back residential roads. There are so many young children around & people drive far too fast! As parents of young children we are quite concerned.
• More frequent patrolling of outlying areas such as the new bowling alley. Make sure road signs are accurate and streets are named properly with good, visible signs. Put dead end signs where appropriate. Check and balance in place with roads dept. So they can't get by with not plowing roads for personal reasons.
• There is an increasing number of large dogs being allowed by owners to roam free during the day. Not only my children, but several of my neighbor's children have asked me to pick them up at school and escort them home because these dogs threaten them physically. Is there not some law against this? Am I not allowed to call the pound to pick up these animals and make the owners pay a fine to get them back? It's either one of these, or those of us with children who walk home from school will have to begin the habit of carrying a bat with us. In my father's day, stray, aggressive animals were shot. Do the owners care about their animals or not?
• I strongly appreciate the before and after school patrols at PLES.
• (I would like to see deputies making more contacts in neighborhoods and businesses) I don't need to know when or what. I just want to see officers cruising by or parked in "High Profile Areas."
• I can sympathize with the older residents of PL. Unfortunately PL has been allowed to build & it is no longer a sleepy town. 105 will look like Academy in a few years. I'm glad I won't see it.

Table of Contents

Suggestions for Police Services Programs/Initiatives

• I would like to see increased enforcement for traffic violations (example: failure to stop at stop signs and speeding).
• It is time to watch for Criminal Gang Activity.

Table of Contents

Community Involvement Suggestions

• I feel you should have a "meet-the-officers" evening at the town hall. This way members can get to know us and we can get to know you better. I feel that the better you know the people of the community, the easier it becomes to deal with some (police) situations.
• With regards to "cultural awareness training," I have not seen or heard anything insofar as complaints, but believe it is in the best interests of the Officers themselves to go through this training in a "CYA" effort.
• I do like the idea of maybe having quarterly meetings in the town hall with PL residents with the Marshal or deputies.
• I really respect Dale and John of PLMO. But the lower income areas (even the money people, I would guess) have a lot of things going on here that I've never had to be exposed to till I moved to Colo. The social services end of Colo. stinks (abuse, neglect, etc.). The police either don't want to get involved or don't have the power to do so, I don't know.
• Get police more involved (more power for them to intervene) in child abuse & neglect cases or situations.

Table of Contents

Police Services Budget to Maintain Professional Staff

• (I support increasing the town's police services budget), but we cannot afford any higher taxes---we are on a limited budget.
• I think we have an adequate number of police which include Monument Police and Sheriff's Dept.
• (I agree with an increase in the town's budget for police services). Absolutely! We also need more staffing!!
• I cannot answer this question with a simple "yes" or "no." I feel there are other problems & options besides throwing money at problems as a solution.
• I do not support an increase in the town's police services budget at this time. Palmer Lake need to spend more on roads/infrastructure.
• I don't want an increase in police services budget. I don't know what the salaries here or elsewhere are, nor do I know of any losses. I don't think I'm qualified to answer.
• I would like to see an increase in Palmer Lake's police budget, but I would like to know what the national average is (for such positions).
• Until I get more information regarding the current allocation of funds (for police services in Palmer Lake), I cannot support such an increase.
• We should/must be put this issue to the voters for approval. We may be able to draw from excess collected taxes.
• I don't support an increase at this time, but I would support a bond issue that would relate to all public safety.
• The PLMO employees need better pay for the job they do.
• An increase in the town's police services budget would be OK, if such expenditures were in line with other town priorities and service demands.
• I would support a small increase in the town's budget for keeping quality staff at the Marshals Office.
• I would need more information on the needs of the PLMO before I could decide on a possible increase in funds.
• What is the budget/wage? I just don't know if more is needed if I don't know present amounts.
• I would vote for an increase in police services, within limits.

Return to Palmer Lake Forms & Reports