Police Chief Thomas gave a report to the Safety and Licensing committee on 10/28/2020 about the results of the communities survey. He touched on some of the items highlighted in the media release APD put out.
They had a return rate of 34.4% which they were very happy with.
Drug abuse is the biggest issue in the Appleton communitt, and it does drive a lot of our crime.
The school resource officer program is a positively viewed program. It’s a 40 year old program, and APD has used it to focus on mentoring and diverting youth from crime.
APD scored high on how they’re dealing with racial equality and justice, but chief Thomas believes there’s room for improvement. He spoke specifically about the survey results as they relate to Black, Indigenous, and People of Color (BIPOC) residents of Appleton.
5.4% of the results (about 38 total surveys) came from BIPOC individuals. These individuals were spread out across the whole city and located in all but one district.
94.6% of BIPOC respondents were satisfied or very satisfied with how APD is meeting the needs of the communuty. 87% said APD treats people fairly. 94.6% say APD demonstrates integrity and respect. 91.8% trust APD. APD’s rating by BIPOC respondents was a little lower than the survey’s overall numbers, but it waa still good, particularly given the current climate in regards to race and policing.
One of the questions on the survey was “Do you feel like we’re working for racial justice and equality for all citizens?” This was the most important question in the survey in Chief Thomas’ mind in regards to BIPOC residents. 80% feel that APD is working toward racial justice and equality, but 20% don’t feel like they are.
Per Chief Thomas, “That is a number that we need to eliminate–that 20%. That’s going to be one of our focuses going forward.”
You can view the entire Safety and Licensing committee meeting here: https://cityofappleton.legistar.com/MeetingDetail.aspx?ID=803429&GUID=75FBAA40-EF03-45E9-ABAB-1FFC8ACAF76E&Options=info%7C&Search=&Refresh=1
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