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Drugs, drinking, delinquents cited as concerns in police survey
It's something officials from the Warrenton Police Department have to do every couple of years.
The agency is accredited by the Virginia Law Enforcement Professional Standards Commission. Consequently, Warrenton Sgt. George W. Southard Jr. said the department is required to conduct "citizen surveys" every two years.
This year, the questionnaires went out in the town's newsletter in March, Southard said. More than 300 people completed the survey and returned it to the police department.
"The response we got was consistent with the one we got a couple of years ago," Southard said. "Overall, I think it was good. It allows us to focus more on specific areas of concern."
Drug activity and speeding were the issues people are most worried about, Southard said.
Seventy-three people said drugs/alcohol are "a major concern" in their neighborhoods. Vandalism, burglary and property theft were also listed as significant issues.
But traffic woes topped the list. In all, 128 people cited it as a significant issue.
People were also asked to rate the enforcement of traffic laws in town. Most of them (161) said the enforcement was "effective," while 76 rated it as "very effective." Forty-eight people said it is "not effective" and 35 said they don't know how effective it is.
Southard said one significant change from past surveys is the number of people who identified juvenile crime as a matter of concern. This year, 121 people indicated that they are also concerned about "delinquent teenagers" in their neighborhoods.
However, responses to the survey also indicate that most people feel safe in their homes and in their neighborhoods.
The vast majority of respondents (206) said they feel "very safe" in Old Town, while 172 people said they feel "somewhat safe" in town parks and on the Greenway. One-hundred seventy people said they feel "very safe" in the town's shopping centers.
The public gave police good ratings in individual performance categories, such as "maintaining a visible presence" in the community, professional/courteous behavior and response times.
The department's ratings for overall performance were also high, with 181 people indicating the police do a "good" job and 95 people indicating they do an "excellent" job.
"Everything I read [in the surveys] are things we are already aware of," Southard said. "There weren't really any surprises."
The next survey will be conducted in 2010.
E-mail the reporter: abogdanovic@timespapers.com
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