POUGHKEEPSIE – Sixty-five percent of the residents surveyed feel that their neighborhood is very safe while only 11percent feel that their neighborhood is very dangerous, according to survey results released Tuesday by Poughkeepsie.
The city announced the results of surveys sent to 3,800 randomly selected households to gauge the public’s feelings about community-police interactions. The surveys included dozens of questions, ranging from people’s perception and fear of crime to their satisfaction and encounters with police.
The results come on the heels of a report from the state Division of Criminal Justice Services showing a decrease in crime in the city. Specifically, violent crimes have dropped from 417 in 2009 to 216 in 2018, a 48.2 percent decrease. And robberies, burglaries and property crimes also have fallen by 50 percent or more during the same time-frame.
The majority of responses came from residents living on the south side of the city. The 8th ward, represented on the common council by Matthew McNamara, returned 88 responses, while Yvonne Flowers’ 5th ward only returned 30 surveys.
The response rate for the survey was 10.24 percent netting 389 responses.
When the survey was introduced, the Marist College Center for Social Justice Research estimated that the response rate would be between 10 and 15 percent. Marist partnered with the City of Poughkeepsie Police Department to collect, analyze, and report on data from the community survey that was released in 2018.
“We appreciate those who took the time to fill out the survey,” said Mayor Rob Rolison. “But our work is far from done. Our outreach efforts will occur on a continuing basis. Our officers are out on the streets every day interacting with people in positive ways.”
Police Chief Thomas Pape said the survey is helpful. “It gives us insights about what the community is thinking. That will aid us out in the streets, and as we continue with our internal training and public outreach efforts.” Pape noted that the opioid epidemic is responsible for 65 percent of the respondents declaring that drugs are a big problem in the city.
The chief acknowledged that drugs are a problem, but not just in Poughkeepsie. “Drugs are a major problem throughout the county and beyond,” said Pape. Poughkeepsie’s top law enforcement officer did say that having a fully-staffed department is giving him the opportunity to devote more manpower to combat the problem.
Pape also cited the inter-agency cooperation with the Dutchess County Drug Task Force and the Community Narcotics Enforcement Team (CNET) from the New York State Police as tools to combat the number of drug-related crimes in the city.
“The Marist Center for Social Justice Research facilitates interdisciplinary research teams of faculty, students, and community partners to conduct engaged social science research with direct impact on the mid-Hudson Valley region,” said Dr. Carol Rinke, associate professor of Education and Coordinator of the Marist Center for Social Justice Research.
The survey is just one of many initiatives the police department has undertaken to strengthen community relations. Earlier this year, police placed a school resource officer in the City of Poughkeepsie School District, improved the complaint form process and restored the community policing unit. The department is working on other strategies including equipping the officers with body cameras and completing implicit bias training.
The full survey can be found at: http://cityofpoughkeepsie.com/
