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BACKGROUND <br /> Following completion of the Police Department's five-year strategic plan, this survey <br /> was conducted with an interest in identifying areas that will further two of the strategic <br /> plan goals: one of which is to Reduce Crime and Increase the Feeling of Safety, and the <br /> other is to Increase Community Trust. Godbe Research was selected following a <br /> competitive Request for Proposals process, and then worked in partnership with staff to <br /> develop a survey instrument to assess community perceptions related to the <br /> aforementioned strategic plan goals. <br /> The statistically valid survey was conducted January 24— 1, 2023 using phone, text and <br /> email methods in multiple languages. Godbe Research received completed surveys <br /> from 818 residents and 127 businesses producing survey results with +/- 3.4 accuracy <br /> for residents and +/- 8.43 accuracy for businesses. Additionally, 115 visitors were <br /> surveyed to add their perspectives to the input received; however, the accuracy for <br /> visitors is unable to be determined given that the total number of visitors to Pleasanton <br /> is unknown. <br /> DISCUSSION <br /> City staff worked with Godbe Research to develop a survey instrument to determine <br /> public opinion regarding feelings of safety, police department trustworthiness, and <br /> department services. Several survey questions from the City's 2021 citizen survey were <br /> incorporated to assess how these results compare with those from previous community <br /> satisfaction surveys. The survey results are attached as Attachment 1. <br /> The survey was conducted with the following objectives: <br /> • Gauge the public's perceptions of living in Pleasanton, as well as the relative <br /> importance of various local issues; <br /> • Gauge feelings of safety in various areas of Pleasanton; <br /> • Gauge satisfaction with the Pleasanton Police Department, as well as <br /> fairness, trustworthiness, and accountability; <br /> • Assess the public's preferences for, and participation in, police department <br /> community outreach and communication opportunities; and <br /> • Identify any differences in opinion due to demographic characteristics. <br /> Several questions in the survey attempted to identify the community's feelings of safety <br /> within Pleasanton as well as Alameda County. Overwhelmingly, 95.4 percent of the <br /> respondents felt very safe or somewhat safe in Pleasanton; feelings of safety in <br /> Alameda County were rated somewhat less highly at 83 percent. The intensity of <br /> feelings of safety was much higher in Pleasanton with over 60 percent stating they feel <br /> "very safe." <br /> To identify the level of trust within the community, respondents were asked how to <br /> assess the trustworthiness of the police department: 84.2 percent stated the <br /> department was trustworthy and 62.1 percent felt Pleasanton police officers treat all <br /> Page 2 of 3 <br />