Conducting Community Surveys: A Practical Guide for Law Enforcement Agencies

The widespread adoption of community policing across the nation has increased the interest in law enforcement agencies’ conducting community surveys. Many police engaged in community policing want to know “how we're doing” from the citizens’ perspective. Community surveys provide descriptive information that goes beyond the traditional measures of police workload, arrest activity, reported offenses, and calls for service. Besides, since community police officers are trying to be responsive to community concerns, any complete measure of success would have to include asking the members of the community themselves.