SCHENECTADY, N.Y. -- If you have been arrested, issued a traffic ticket or called police for help, now might be your chance to tell city cops what you really think of them.
The John F. Finn Institute For Public Safety in Albany has received a $340,000 National Institute of Justice grant to examine what people think about their encounters with the Schenectady Police Department. Syracuse police are also part of the survey.
The institute aims to conduct telephone interviews of 1,800 people who contacted Schenectady police themselves or were stopped or arrested by police and ask questions concerning the respect and fairness shown by officers. Information gleaned from those arrested with be included in the general sample but will also be broken out to provide a clear picture of where those responses originated. Officer in-car videos and audio recordings will be reviewed.
Schenectady Police Chief Mark Chaires said the department will promote the survey so people know the nonprofit institute is a legitimate organization that will keep respondents' identities confidential. The department conducted a similar survey in 2008, but it was much smaller and done in-house by two civilian staffers.
"This was a no-brainer. We jumped at the opportunity to participate," the chief said. "We encourage the public to participate in the survey because it's a direct way to speak to us."
Institute Director Robert Worden said departments routinely analyze crime statistics and assess officers' performances, but they rarely measure how police treat citizens. The institute is named for an Albany Police Department lieutenant who worked with the state University at Albany on data-driven solutions to crime fighting. Finn was shot and died in the line of duty in 2003. Worden is an associate professor of criminal justice and public policy at UAlbany.
The 10-minute phone surveys, which began in August, measure something called "procedural fairness," which refers to citizens being treated with dignity and respect and having someone listening to them, and an officer explaining what is being done. Worden said studies have shown that when officers practice procedural fairness, the public is more likely to cooperate with police and commit fewer crimes.
Institute Associate Director Sarah McLean said the project will examine how the department responds to the comments it receives.
The institute will start to share its results directly with Schenectady's command staff likely next month. Chaires said the results will directly impact staff training.
The survey, which is committed to completing 100 surveys a month, will end in Jan. 2013.
Copyright 2011 - Times Union, Albany, N.Y.
McClatchy-Tribune News Service
