Journal & Topics Media Group

Survey Says: Community Satisfaction With Elk Grove Police High

75% Rank Department Excellent Overall, 84% Find Officers Approachable

Elk Grove Village Police Chief Charles “Chuck” Walsh at his desk. (Photo provided)

While some police departments complain about low morale and adversarial relationships with members of the community, that does not appear to be the case in Elk Grove Village, according to a recent survey.

Elk Grove Village police created a detailed 10 question online survey consisting of qualitative questions, where those answering left a rating for an answer, responded to multiple-choice questions, and had opportunities for written comments. 

The SurveyMonkey survey was answered by 365 people between early April and late May. Police advertised the survey through their social media channels including Facebook and Twitter and in a village newsletter and with flyers at events. The report found the response rate was low. 

“Only 356 individuals responded, proving a low response rate. These features of the survey all point to a strong non-response bias — those who responded most likely differ in meaningful ways from those who did not respond. Thus, the sample is most likely not a fully accurate representation of the population and the results of the survey are skewed.” 

Still, the numbers painted a positive picture of where Elk Grove Village police stand with the community. 

On the question of overall performance by the department, 75% of respondents ranked the department as excellent. On the question of officer and employee competence, 83% ranked the department as excellent. In the area of courtesy and professionalism, 76% rated police staff as excellent, and ranked officers’ ability to address concerns and promote safety as excellent by 71% of respondents. 

Elk Grove Village Mayor Craig Johnson said one of the rankings he was most encouraged by is the 84% who said “yes” when asked if officers are approachable. The survey found only 5% of respondents found officers were not approachable.  

“Comments from the survey support this metric, with most individuals expressing kind words about the department, and few expressing distrust or dislike of officers and employees,” the survey report said. 

Respondents were asked what areas of public safety should be most focused on and were asked to check all which applied. The leading response of 250 respondents was crime prevention and community engagement, followed closely by 214 saying the department should focus on general criminal activity. Another 161 respondents said police should focus on gangs and drugs while 156 respondents said traffic safety and speeding vehicles should be a primary focus. 

On traffic concerns, respondents listed several areas, including near Link and Mead schools, along Arlington Heights Road near Biesterfield Road and Elk Grove Boulevard, along residential streets near Pebble Beach Circle, along Leicester Road between Biesterfield Road and Winston Drive, and along Bristol Lane.  

Other traffic concerns focused on drivers disregarding posted stop signs, or the need for stop signs, “unruly drivers in the Jewel-Osco parking lot” at Biesterfield and Arlington Heights roads, and cars parked in driveways blocking sidewalks.  

In the area of interactions with police, a small majority of respondents, 159, said they encountered police officers at a community event. Additionally, 133 respondents said they called 911 to report a crime, 64 were stopped by police for a traffic offense, 56 said they interacted with police online, and 52 respondents said they had never interacted with police. No respondents reported being arrested by officers. 

Included in comments by residents was the need for officers to “make an appearance on residential roads,” either for surveillance or so officers can get to know residents. Elk Grove Village Police Chief Chuck Walsh said he has begun deploying more officers in residential neighborhoods.   

Walsh said police will also host a “Coffee With A Cop” event as part of a national Coffee With A Cop day from 7 to 9 a.m. Wednesday, Oct. 6 at the McDonalds on Meacham Road.   

The survey asked how respondents received information about the police department but were only asked about the police department’s Facebook and Twitter pages, the Elk Grove Village website, and the police neighborhood watch program. The survey did not ask about other social media channels, or groups, nor about traditional media such as local newspapers or the village’s cable channel EGTV Channel 6. 

Walsh said his survey only asked about media and social media channels police have some control over. He said he might expand that question in future surveys.   

Comments in the survey also suggested more use of humor, stories, and videos, including videos about the police K9, on police department social media channels.

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