The Clinton Police Department isn’t just concerned with public safety, officials are also concerned with what the public citizens think of the effectiveness of the department.
City residents and businesses are being asked to complete a department-provided survey, with hopes of improving the relationship between the department’s staff and residents and businesses in the city. According to Brittany Locklear, senior administrative specialist for the department, surveys were mailed out to residents in the last water bill and will be hand-delivered to businesses by an officer.
In addition to the hard copy of the survey that was mailed, Locklear said the survey is available and may be completed online at www.cityofclintonnc.com/services/police.
“We want to identify strengths and areas of improvement within the department,” Clinton Police chief Donald Edwards said. “The benefit of the survey is to get honest feedback from the community.”
The last survey the department provided was done three years ago, and Edwards wants to periodically seek the thoughts of the citizens. Only one percent of the population of Clinton completed that survey, and those who did seemed to be pleased with the department’s overall effectiveness at the time.
According to Locklear, the department is concerned about the safety of the city’s citizens and businesses, but it isn’t just about insuring a safe town, but about the department’s staff developing trusting relationships within the community.
The surveys are completely anonymous — a tool the department is stressing with hopes of getting more surveys returned with honest answers. According to Locklear, many people do not feel comfortable calling the police and the department hopes the surveys will ease some of that fear.
“We need honest feedback from the survey right now, but we want citizens to feel confident to be able to speak to us any time,” Edwards added.
In addition to the surveys, the department is now offering an anonymous tip line, allowing residents to submit tips to the police department anonymously.
“The department is trying to get as much feedback as we can,” Locklear said. “We want to make sure the department and the community has a good relationship and citizens can feel at ease when giving us information.”
Clinton’s crime rate has dropped in the last few years, and that, officers feel, is attributed to the hard work and dedication of the department, as well as the increased visibility.
On-duty officers are delivering the surveys by hand to the businesses in the downtown area and will return to pick them up. The surveys mailed to residents can be mailed back into The City of Clinton or dropped off at the department’s office on Lisbon Street.