City Releases "Policing In Rochester" Survey Results

Rochester NY

05 November, 2020

10:42 AM

Description

Press release from the City of Rochester: November 4 2020 Notable News: 57% support Chief Herriott-Sullivan being provided the resources she requires to improve police-community relations, only 20% were opposed Residents also strongly support Community Policing & the City's new Crisis Intervention Teams 56% of residents believe independent experts should assist the City in this effort, only 32% were opposed 52% of residents believe that help from outside of City government is required to complete this effort, only 34% do not Over 2,000 city residents responded to the survey, nearly 1% of the population The City of Rochester today released the results of its Policing in Rochester Survey conducted over the last two weeks. Over 2,000 residents, or nearly 1% of Rochester's population, responded to the survey. The results showed strong support for using independent experts (56%) and outside organizations (52%), including community groups and the Police Accountability Board, to assist City Hall in its efforts to respond to Governor Cuomo's Executive Order that requires municipalities to submit comprehensive reports to reimagine policing in their community by April 1, 2021. "I'm grateful to the community for sharing their opinions and thoughts on how we begin the process of reimagining policing in Rochester," said Mayor Warren. "This survey was the first step in that process and now I look forward to working with City Council to use this data to move forward." The survey results also demonstrated strong support for community policing (75%), and the City's new Crisis Intervention Teams to provide a non-law enforcement response to mental health and addiction related 911 calls (60%). A plurality of residents also support the construction of municipal buildings in neighborhoods to assist the City's community policing efforts with 45% in favor and 35% opposed. "Across the board, city residents want us to continue our commitment to community policing and providing a non-police response to our neighbors in crisis," said Mayor Warren. "It is clear that we have much more to do and we will do this work in partnership with our community." Over 2,200 comments were submitted, including many lengthy and thoughtful opinions of how to improve policing. Mayor Warren stressed that these responses deserve a meaningful review so they can be incorporated into the City's plans and response to the Governor's order. Note: Over 3,200 responses in total were received. The additional approximately 1,200 responses were from non-city residents and were not included in the commentary above. The complete survey results are available at cityofrochester.gov/policesurvey. News Media: For more information, contact Bridgette Burch White at (585) 428-6064 or [email protected]. This press release was produced by the City of Rochester. The views expressed here are the author's own.