Citizens' Page
Cranston Police Department is a Certified Reverse 911 Organization
Salve Regina University Citizen Survey
In the fall of 2005, members of the department’s Inspectional Services Division approached Mr. Daniel Knight of Salve Regina University regarding the possibility of enlisting their Administration of Justice program to design and implement a first ever community survey of the City of Cranston. This ambitious initiative had been employed in smaller towns in southeastern New England and the University was interested in completing a larger scale survey with a city in Rhode Island. A short time later it was agreed that the Salve Regina Administration of Justice Program would partner with the Cranston Police Department in the second year of their accreditation self-assessment, fall 2007.
After numerous organizational meetings and an official commissioning of the survey by the Command Staff, members of the Inspectional Services Division and a Special Projects Administration of Justice class finalized the survey instrument and prepared a database of Cranston residents. The Cranston Police Department was adamant that the effort be as fair and unbiased as possible. Therefore, the department would have no involvement in the collection, calculation or interpretation of the data. In early October, five thousand surveys were sent out to Cranston residents.
It was quickly apparent that the survey would be a success as the return rate for the project would approach twenty percent. The advertized interview sessions were well attended and very informative for the department and students taking part in the class. Overall, the survey provided the Cranston Police Department with invaluable resources with regards to crime problems, personnel allocation as well as a glimpse into the perceived visibility of our programs. Following the completion of the survey, the students gave a presentation of results to members of the executive branch and the City Council. Highlighting the presentation was the ninety percent approval rating that the citizens of the City of Cranston gave to their officers. This was a project that not only emphasized the spirit of cooperation between the citizens and their police department but a confirmation that our department continues to chart a course in the right direction.
