Thornbury Township Police Services Survey: Initial Data Analyses and Key Findings 1160 McDermott Drive, Suite 101, West Chester, PA 19383 Phone: 610-425-7448, E-Mail: lbernotsky@wcupa.edu
April 2012 2 Table of Contents EXECUTIVE SUMMARY... 3 APPENDIX A: DETAILED FREQUENCY TABLES... 6 CHARACTERISTICS OF RESPONDENTS... 6 KEY QUESTION... 8 SERVICES RANKING... 9 PERSONAL EXPERIENCE/OBSERVATION OF POLICE... 9 LEVEL OF SATISFACTION... 10 BUDGET... 10 SERVICE LEVEL... 12
April 2012 3 Executive Summary BACKGROUND AND METHODOLOGY In Fall 2011, the Center for Social and Economic Policy Research (CSEPR) at West Chester University of Pennsylvania was commissioned by the Thornbury Township Board of Supervisors to conduct a Township-wide survey of households as a practical step in informing the future of police services in the Township. The survey was designed to help the Board gain an understanding of residents preferences about levels of service and the fiscal realities of funding such services. Through a series of initial consensus meetings between the CSEPR and the project subcommittee, a research design and a survey were refined and developed to address the research questions. The research design implemented in this study centered on a household survey of township residents. It is important to note that rather than drawing a sample of residents, this methodology involved contacting all households so that every household had an equal chance of participating in the survey. The response rate for the survey was very good, with a total response N of 301 or 26.13 of all households and in this sense, no sampling bias was introduced into the methodology. This means that these results conform to the standards required for scientifically-based survey research and are not the results of a convenience sample, straw poll, or less rigorous public opinion study. KEY FINDINGS Potential respondents were provided with an educational brochure when they received the survey that made it clear that 47 of the current township budget is dedicated to providing police services. They were asked the following question midway through the survey, Given what you know about the Township Budget, what percentage of the budget is dedicated to providing police services (please fill in)? Answers between 40-55 were coded as correct, all other answers, including missings, were coded as incorrect. Under this scoring mechanism, 69.8 of respondents correctly answered the question. Interestingly, even though the clear majority of respondents provided the correct answer, there is no statistical difference between those who answered this question and those who did not regarding their opinions about police services. This may be interpreted to mean that respondents opinions about police services are stable and deeply held (i.e. not easily influenced by the brochure). Respondents were asked to rank the importance of the following services: patrol, traffic enforcement, crime investigation, accident and incident response, and community programs. The majority of all respondents (54.5) rank accident and incident response as the most important service element, while 38.5 rank patrol as the most important service element. 5.40 54.50 Most important service 38.50 16.70 14.80 Patrol Traffic Enforcement Crime Investigation Accident and Incident Response Community Programs *Percentages do not total 100 due to forced choiced ranking.
April 2012 4 The majority of respondents have observed police performing patrol (76.9) and traffic enforcement (78.3), while roughly one third (33.2) have had personal experience with accident and incident response. Interestingly, there is no statistically significant correlation between observation of or personal experience with any of these services and the ranking of the importance of services listed in the bullet above. The majority of respondents, 60 or more, report high levels of satisfaction with all services that they report being able to evaluate. When asked a series of questions about expenditures Willing to support cost of full services for police services, the majority of all respondents (62) report being willing to support the cost of 15.80 maintaining full services. 39.40 Strongly agree Conversely, 60.5 of all Somewhat agree respondents either somewhat 12.50 Not sure disagree (16.5) or strongly Somewhat disagree disagree (43.9) that they are willing to receive a lower level of 8.80 Strongly disagree service in order to maintain 22.60 current tax rates. Additionally, those respondents who either strongly agreed or somewhat agreed with the first statement above were asked what in their view is a reasonable amount for a household to pay per year extra in taxes to continue the Township s current level of police services. Of the 184 respondents who were eligible to answer the question, 141 answered, and the three amounts most frequently named were: $25 (11.3); $50 ($22.7); and $100 (27.0). Using the natural breaks in the data, the categories are as follows: less than $50 (24.1); $50 to $99 (29.7); and $100 or more (46.1). Clearly, for the 184 respondents (62) who reported being willing to support the cost of maintaining the full services police contract with a reasonable increase in taxes that would be adequate to cover the continuation of the current level of service, the overwhelming majority (75.8) listed a self-reported reasonable amount that falls within the Township s suggested $125 spread across three years. The majority of all respondents (73.5) either strongly agree or somewhat agree that they prefer a police force that offers a range of services similar to what they currently receive. 64.4 either strongly agree or somewhat agree that they would prefer a police force whose primary focus is on patrolling neighborhoods, parks, and streets looking for suspicious activity or violations, which would mean fewer resources for speed enforcement or stop sign and intersection policing. Most respondents, 71.1, either somewhat disagreed or strongly disagreed that they would prefer a police force whose primary focus is on traffic enforcement at intersections and areas where speeding is a problem, which would mean fewer resources for patrolling neighborhoods, parks, and streets. In this
April 2012 5 sense, it is clear that the majority of respondents prefer a police force offering services similar to what residents currently receive and if the choice is between patrol and traffic enforcement respondents prefer a police force focused on patrol. Detailed tables for each finding may be found in Appendix A.
April 2012 6 Appendix A: Detailed Frequency Tables The response rate for the survey was very good, with a total response N of 301 and a response rate of 26.13. The following data represent the statistical analyses and key findings for the recently completed household survey. Characteristics of Respondents The demographic characteristics of the respondents are as follows: Gender Male 151 50.2 59.7 59.7 Female 102 33.9 40.3 100.0 Total 253 84.1 100.0 Missing 48 15.9 Age Range 18-25 1.3.3.3 26-35 10 3.3 3.4 3.7 36-45 42 14.0 14.2 18.0 46-65 159 52.8 53.9 71.9 Over 65 83 27.6 28.1 100.0 Total 295 98.0 100.0 Missing 6 2.0 If you added together all the yearly incomes, before taxes, of all the members of your household for the last year, would the total be: Under $24,999 5 1.7 2.0 2.0 $25,000-$49,999 16 5.3 6.3 8.2 $50,000-$74,999 34 11.3 13.3 21.5 $75,000-$124,999 65 21.6 25.4 46.9 $125,000-$199,999 61 20.3 23.8 70.7 More than $200,000 75 24.9 29.3 100.0 Total 256 85.0 100.0 Missing 45 15.0
April 2012 7 What is the total number of children (under 18) in your household? 0 203 67.4 68.8 68.8 1 39 13.0 13.2 82.0 2 31 10.3 10.5 92.5 3 14 4.7 4.7 97.3 4 7 2.3 2.4 99.7 5 1.3.3 100.0 Total 295 98.0 100.0 Missing 6 2.0 What is the total number of adults over age 65 in your household? 0 163 54.2 55.3 55.3 1 56 18.6 19.0 74.2 2 70 23.3 23.7 98.0 3 3 1.0 1.0 99.0 4 2.7.7 99.7 5 1.3.3 100.0 Total 295 98.0 100.0 Missing 6 2.0 What is your marital status? Single 22 7.3 7.4 7.4 Partnered 5 1.7 1.7 9.1 Married 230 76.4 77.2 86.2 Separated 3 1.0 1.0 87.2 Divorced 17 5.6 5.7 93.0 Widowed 21 7.0 7.0 100.0 Total 298 99.0 100.0 Missing 3 1.0 Do you rent or own your home? Rent 11 3.7 3.7 3.7 Own 287 95.3 96.3 100.0 Total 298 99.0 100.0 Missing 3 1.0
April 2012 8 How many years have you been a resident of Thornbury Township? Less than one year 4 1.3 1.3 1.3 1-4 Years 36 12.0 12.1 13.4 5-9 Years 37 12.3 12.4 25.8 10 or more years 221 73.4 74.2 100.0 Total 298 99.0 100.0 Missing 3 1.0 Findings: The majority of respondents are male (59.7), which is unusual for survey responses. However, there are no statistically significant differences by gender related to the ranking of the importance of services below. The majority of respondents (53.9) are between 46 and 65 while 28.1 are over 65. Respondent incomes were divided roughly into four quartiles: 21.6 under $75,000, 25.4 between $75,000 and $124,999, 23.8 between $125,000 and $199,999, and 29.3 over $200,000. The majority of respondents (68.8) report having no children under 18 living in their household. 55.3 report having no adults over age 65 living in their household, while 19.0 report one adult over 65 and 25.7 report having two or more. 77.2 are married. 96.3 of respondents report owning their homes and 74.2 report living in the township for 10 or more years. Key Question Potential respondents were provided with an educational brochure when they received the survey that made it clear that 47 of the current township budget is dedicated to providing police services. They were asked the following question midway through the survey, Given what you know about the Township Budget, what percentage of the budget is dedicated to providing police services (please fill in)? Answers between 40-55 were coded as correct, all other answers, including missings, were coded as incorrect. Under this scoring mechanism, 69.8 of respondents correctly answered the question: Correctly answered key question Yes 210 69.8 69.8 69.8 No 91 30.2 30.2 100.0 100.0
April 2012 9 Services Ranking Please rank order the following services in terms of how important they are to you by ranking them 1 through 5, with 1 being the most important and 5 being least important. Please use each number only once. All respondents: 1 2 3 4 5 Importance of Patrol 115 38.5 60 20.1 65 21.7 38 12.7 21 7.0 Importance of Traffic Enforcement Importance of Crime Investigation Importance of Accident & Incident Response Importance of Community Programs 44 14.8 52 17.4 70 23.5 102 34.2 30 10.1 50 16.7 101 33.8 75 25.1 58 19.4 15 5.0 163 54.5 54 18.1 43 14.4 23 7.7 16 5.4 16 5.4 19 6.4 42 14.0 34 11.4 188 62.9 Findings: The majority of all respondents (54.5) rank accident and incident response as the most important service element, while 38.5 rank patrol as the most important service element. Personal Experience/Observation of Police Please tell us if you have observed or had personal experience with the Westtown-East Goshen Regional Police Force performing any of these duties (check all that apply): All respondents: Observed Performing Personal Experience Neither Total N Total N Total N Patrol 230 76.9 39 13.0 56 18.7 Traffic Enforcement 235 78.3 39 13.0 51 17.0 Crime Investigation 50 16.9 57 19.3 207 69.9 Accident & Incident Response 138 46.3 99 33.2 98 32.9 Community Programs 50 16.9 27 9.2 231 78.3
April 2012 10 Findings: The majority of respondents have observed police performing patrol and traffic enforcement, while roughly one third (33.2) have had personal experience with accident and incident response. Interestingly, there is no statistically significant correlation between observation of or personal experience with any of these services and the ranking of the importance of services listed above. Level of Satisfaction The following questions are to determine how satisfied you are with the Westtown-East Goshen Regional Police Force (check one for each question). All respondents: Very Satisfied Satisfied Neutral Dissatisfied Very Dissatisfied Don't Know/ Can't Evaluate How satisfied are you with: the regional police force overall? 107 35.5 113 37.5 48 15.9 8 2.7 4 1.3 21 7.0 the level of patrol provided by the regional police force? the level of traffic enforcement provided by the regional police force? the criminal investigation services provided by the regional police force? the incident response provided by the regional police force? the community programs (DARE, Citizen Police Academy) provided by the regional force? 63 20.9 126 41.9 55 18.3 21 7.0 8 2.7 28 9.3 57 19.0 118 39.3 61 20.3 28 9.3 12 4.0 24 8.0 43 14.4 45 15.1 35 11.7 11 3.7 4 1.3 161 53.8 88 29.2 76 25.2 33 11.0 9 3.0 4 1.3 91 30.2 23 7.7 41 13.7 43 14.3 1 0.3 5 1.7 187 62.3 Findings: The majority of respondents report high levels of satisfaction with all services that they report being able to evaluate. Budget As you may or may not know, if we continue our current level of police services, the Township may need to increase the amount of revenue collected from households to support the increased costs. The following statements will help the Board of Supervisors determine the level of citizen willingness to pay more to continue the contract or whether to seek other alternatives. Please read each of the following statements and indicate your level of agreement or disagreement with each one by checking the corresponding box in the table.
April 2012 11 All respondents: Strongly Agree Somewhat Not Sure Somewhat Strongly Don't Know Agree Disagree Disagree I would be willing to support the cost of maintaining our full services police contract with a reasonable increase in taxes that would be adequate to cover the continuation of the current level of service. I would be willing to pay up to an additional $125 over three years; which would mean a $55 increase the first year, and an additional $35 increase for the last two years. 117 39.4 67 22.6 26 8.8 37 12.5 47 15.8 3 1.0 114 38.8 59 20.1 24 8.2 39 13.3 55 18.7 3 1.0 I oppose raising taxes for any reason including funding the cost of maintaining the current level of police services. 44 15.1 31 10.7 24 8.2 68 23.4 122 41.9 2 0.7 I would be willing to receive a lower level of police coverage if that meant there would be no changes to the amount of taxes I pay. 46 15.5 45 15.2 23 7.8 49 16.6 130 43.9 3 1.0 I would be willing to receive the lowest level of police coverage if that means my taxes will be reduced. 24 8.1 19 6.4 15 5.1 42 14.2 193 65.4 2 0.7 Findings: The majority of all respondents (62) report being willing to support the cost of maintaining full services. Conversely, 60.5 of all respondents either somewhat disagree (16.5) or strongly disagree (43.9) that they are willing to receive a lower level of service in order to maintain current tax rates. Additionally, those respondents who either strongly agreed or somewhat agreed with the first statement above were asked what in their view is a reasonable amount for a household to pay per year extra in taxes to continue the Township s current level of police services. Of the 184 respondents who were eligible to answer the question, 141 answered, and the three amounts most frequently named were: $25 (11.3); $50 ($22.7);
April 2012 12 and $100 (27.0). Using the natural breaks in the data, the categories are as follows: less than $50 (24.1); $50 to $99 (29.7); and $100 or more (46.1). Clearly, for the 184 respondents (62) who reported being willing to support the cost of maintaining the full services police contract with a reasonable increase in taxes that would be adequate to cover the continuation of the current level of service, the overwhelming majority (75.8) listed a self-reported reasonable amount that falls within the Township s suggested $125 over three years. Service Level Based on the information from the survey, it may be the case that residents desire a different package of services from the full service one currently provided. If this is in the case, the following questions will help the Board of Supervisors better determine which set of services to negotiate. Please read each of the following statements and indicate your level of agreement or disagreement with each one by checking the corresponding box in the table. All respondents: Strongly Agree Somewhat Agree Not Sure Somewhat Disagree Strongly Disagree Don't Know I would prefer a police force that offers a range of services similar to what we currently receive. I would prefer a police force whose primary focus is on patrolling neighborhoods, parks, and streets looking for suspicious activity or violations, which would mean fewer resources for speed enforcement or stop sign and intersection policing. I would prefer a police force whose primary focus is on traffic enforcement at intersections and areas where speeding is a problem, which would mean fewer resources for patrolling neighborhoods, parks, and streets. I would prefer a police force whose primary focus is investigating and solving both major and smaller crimes and fewer resources for enforcing traffic laws and patrolling. 132 44.9 84 28.6 17 5.8 42 14.3 15 5.1 4 1.4 87 30.1 99 34.3 11 3.8 50 17.3 42 14.5 0 0.0 16 5.5 41 14.1 24 8.3 100 34.5 108 37.2 1 0.3 35 12.1 77 26.6 23 7.9 80 27.6 73 25.2 2 0.7
April 2012 13 Findings: The majority of all respondents (73.5) either strongly agree or somewhat agree that they prefer a police force that offers a range of services similar to what they currently receive. 64.4 either strongly agree or somewhat agree that they would prefer a police force whose primary focus is on patrolling neighborhoods, parks, and streets looking for suspicious activity or violations, which would mean fewer resources for speed enforcement or stop sign and intersection policing. Most respondents, 71.1, either somewhat disagreed or strongly disagreed that they would prefer a police force whose primary focus is on traffic enforcement at intersections and areas where speeding is a problem, which would mean fewer resources for patrolling neighborhoods, parks, and streets. In this sense, it is clear that the majority of respondents prefer a police force offering services similar to what residents currently receive and if the choice is between patrol and traffic enforcement respondents prefer a police force focused on patrol.