Survey of Citizens' Attitudes Toward Community-Oriented Law Enforcement in Alachua County, Florida, 1996

This study sought to identify the impact of the communication training program given to deputies in Alachua County, Florida, on the community's attitudes toward community law enforcement activities, particularly crime prevention and neighborhood patrols. To determine the success of the communication training for the Alachua deputies, researchers administered a survey to residents in the target neighborhood before the communication program was implemented (Part 1: Pretest Data) and again after the program had been established (Part 2: Post-Test Data). The survey instrument developed for use in this study was designed to assess neighborhood respondents' attitudes regarding (1) community law enforcement, defined as the assignment of deputies to neighborhoods on a longer term (not just patrol) basis with the goal of developing and implementing crime prevention programs, (2) the communication skills of deputies assigned to the community, and (3) the perceived importance of community law enforcement activities. For both parts, residents were asked how important it was to (1) have the same deputies assigned to their neighborhoods, (2) personally know the names of their deputies, and (3) work with the deputies on crime watch programs. Residents were asked if they agreed that the sheriff's office dealt with the neighborhood residents effectively, were good listeners, were easy to talk to, understood and were interested in what the residents had to say, were flexible, were trustworthy, were safe to deal with, and were straightforward, respectful, considerate, honest, reliable, friendly, polite, informed, smart, and helpful. Demographic variables include the gender, race, age, income, employment status, and educational level of each respondent.