| Introduction | 1 |
| Executive Summary | 2 |
| Profile of the Respondents | 5 |
| General Evaluations of the Sheriff's Office and Other Law Enforcement Issues | 6 |
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6 |
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9 |
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11 |
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11 |
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14 |
| Neighborhood Safety Issues and the CCSO | 17 |
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17 |
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17 |
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19 |
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19 |
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21 |
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21 |
| Interaction With The CCSO: Traffic Stops, Accidents, and Other Requests For Assistance | 22 |
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22 |
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24 |
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24 |
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26 |
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29 |
| Sources of Information and the Image of the Sheriff's Office | 30 |
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30 |
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33 |
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33 |
| Appendix | 34 |
In the fall of 2002, the A.L. Burruss Institute of Public Service at Kennesaw State University was asked by the Cherokee County Sheriff's Office (CCSO) (Mr. Roger Garrison, Sheriff) to conduct a Service Quality Assessment. The study was designed to ascertain the impressions of the citizens of Cherokee County toward the overall performance of the Sheriff's Office, as well as the quality of services received from the Sheriff's Office during various types of specific contacts between representatives of that office and Cherokee residents. A similar study was conducted by the Institute for the CCSO in 1999.
The study is based on a random survey of adults 18 years of age and older. The survey was conducted by telephone in February 2003 from the Institute's Survey Research Laboratory. A randomized list of Cherokee County telephone numbers was provided by Survey Sampling, Inc., of Fairfield, Connecticut. The numbers were screened to eliminate businesses and other unqualified numbers. When more than one qualified potential respondent resided in a household, a random selection process was used to identify the adult to be surveyed from that household. A total of 458 respondents were surveyed. The survey has an overall margin of error of ± 5%.
At the request of the Sheriff's Office, questions were included in the survey that allowed us to determine whether or not a respondent lives in an unincorporated area of the county or within one of the incorporated cities in Cherokee. In addition, for respondents living in unincorporated areas, it was determined whether or not the respondent lived east or west of Interstate 575, and north or south of Highway 20 (Canton Highway). These respondents were then categorized according to which quadrant of the county they reside in (i.e., NE, SE, NW, SW).
An Executive Summary is included immediately after this Introduction. The survey instrument is included in Appendix A.
The following is a summary of the characteristics of the respondents:
The respondents were asked a number of questions related to general evaluations of various aspects of the Sheriff's Office, including its overall performance, level of professionalism, efforts to enforce the county's traffic laws and perceptions of the county's crime rate.
Overall Evaluation of CCSO Over one-half (53%) of the respondents believe the overall performance of the Cherokee County Sheriff's Office is either "excellent" (20%) or "very good" (33%) (see Figure A). Just six percent (6%) suggested the performance of the CCSO is only "fair," while 2% said its performance is "poor." Further analysis reveals:
more importantly, their level of satisfaction with the outcome of those contacts. There is some merit to these suppositions, although it is important to keep in mind that relatively few people overall expressed unfavorable opinions of the CCSO in any way. Further analysis reveals:
Finally, the percentage of respondents in 2003 who said the overall performance of the CCSO is either "excellent" or "very good" represents a small improvement over the results from 1999 (53% to 47%, respectively).
Evaluations Of Overall Professionalism
When asked to evaluate the overall professionalism of the CCSO, over one-half (56%) of the respondents said the CCSO is "very professional" (See Figure B). Only 2% of the respondents feel the CCSO is "not professional at all." There was no relationship between responses to this question and any of the background characteristics of the respondents. There is evidence that the respondents' evaluations of the Sheriff's Office overall level of professionalism is related to the experiences the respondents may have had with the CCSO. Specifically,
Finally, the percentage of respondents in the 2003 survey who said the CCSO is "very professional" reflects a significant improvement from the 1999 results (55% to 46%, respectively).
Perception Of Crime Rate In Cherokee County Compared To Other Localities
Even though a sizeable percentage of respondents believe the crime rate in Cherokee County has gone up in the last five years, when asked to compare the crime rate in Cherokee County to the rates in other local counties almost two-thirds (64%) of the respondents said the crime rate in Cherokee is either "a little low" (47%) or "very low" (17%) compared to other localities (See Figure C). Only 15% of the respondents suggested the crime rate in Cherokee is higher than in other local counties. Further analysis reveals:
Finally, there is virtually no difference between the opinions of the respondents in 2003 compared to those of the 1999 survey on this issue.
Perceptions Of Change In Cherokee Crime Rate Over Last Five Years
Thirty-eight percent (38%) of the respondents believe the crime rate has gone up in Cherokee County over the past five years (See Figure D). Thirty-five percent (35%)
believe the crime rate is about the same now as it was five years ago. Further analysis reveals:
Finally, the percentage of respondents in 2003 who feel the crime rate in Cherokee County has gone up in the last five years represents a small improvement over the results of the1999 survey (38% to 45%, respectively).
General Perceptions Of Traffic Enforcement
Forty percent (40%) of the respondents believe the CCSO has done either an "excellent" (11%) or "very good" (29%) job enforcing the traffic laws in unincorporated Cherokee County (see Figure E). Only fifteen percent said the Sheriff's Office has done a "fair" (12%) or "poor" (3%) job in this area. Respondents between the ages of 35 and 44 were somewhat more likely (24%) to believe the Sheriff's Office is doing just a "fair" (20%) or "poor" (4%) job of enforcing the traffic laws in the unincorporated areas of the county. Otherwise, there was no relationship between opinions on this issue and the background characteristics of the respondents.
The percentage of respondents in 2003 who believe the CCSO is doing only a "fair" or "poor" job of traffic enforcement has declined by more than 50% over the percentage from the 1999 survey (15% to 31%, respectively).
The respondents were asked about a number of public safety issues related to their neighborhoods. Included in these issues were questions about traffic safety, the general safety of the respondents and their property, the relative safety of their neighborhoods compared to other parts of the county, the most serious public safety problem facing their neighborhoods, the existence and effectiveness of Neighborhood Watch programs, and whether or not the respondents believe the CCSO adequately patrols their neighborhoods.
Traffic Safety In Respondents' Neighborhoods
When asked to rate traffic safety in their neighborhoods on a 1-10 scale, where "1" represented a "very dangerous" traffic situation and "10" meant the traffic in their neighborhoods was "very safe", the average traffic safety rating score was 5.93 (see Figure F). Almost one-third (31%) of the respondents gave a traffic safety rating of "8" or higher; just 19% of the respondents rated traffic safety as a "3" or lower. Long-time residents of Cherokee County expressed a slightly lower average traffic safety rating than did newer residents (5.67 to 6.20, respectively), but this difference should not be overemphasized. Otherwise, there was no significant relationship between traffic safety ratings and other background characteristics of the respondents.
The average traffic safety rating increased slightly between 1999 and 2003 (5.07 to 5.93).
Evaluation Of General Safety In Respondents' Neighborhoods
The respondents were asked to rate the overall safety of their neighborhoods on the same 1-10 scale. The average neighborhood safety rating was 8.00 (see Figure F). Two-thirds (68%) of the respondents rated their neighborhoods as an "8" or higher. Traffic safety ratings were uniformly high among all demographic subgroups of the respondents.
The average neighborhood safety rating increased slightly between 1999 and 2003 (7.69 to 8.00).
Safety Of Respondent's Neighborhood Compared To Other Areas Of The County
Seventy-nine percent (79%) of the respondents believe their neighborhood is safer to live in than most other neighborhoods. Only 7% said their neighborhoods are more dangerous than others. The remaining respondents said their neighborhoods are the same as the others, or offered no opinion at all. Respondents living in unincorporated Cherokee are somewhat more likely than those living within city limits to think their neighborhoods are safer than others (86% to 74%, respectively) but this difference is not dramatic and should not be overemphasized. Otherwise, there were no relationship between responses to this question and other background characteristics of the respondents.
These results are virtually unchanged from the results of the 1999 survey.
Most Serious Public Safety Problem In Neighborhood
The respondents also were asked to identify the most serious public safety issue plaguing their neighborhood. The respondents were given seven problems (randomly rotated for each respondent) to choose from, with the option of specifying a problem not included on the list. As Figure G indicates, 44% of the respondents mentioned traffic safety while 11% mentioned loose pets or other animals. Crimes against property and drugs were each mentioned by 8% of the respondents. Other problems were each mentioned by fewer than 5% of the respondents, and 13% of the respondents were unable to provide any meaningful response to this question. Although the same general pattern existed for subgroups of the population, a few variations should be noted:
These results are very similar to those witnessed in the 1999 survey.
Neighborhood Watch Programs
Over one-fourth (27%) of the respondents living in unincorporated Cherokee indicated their neighborhoods have a "neighborhood watch" program. Neighborhood watch programs are less prevalent in the northwestern (18%) and northeastern (19%) areas of the county, a fact which is presumably related to the lower population density in the northern areas of the county. There was no relationship between other background characteristics and the responses to this question.
Effectiveness Of Neighborhood Watch Programs
Eighty-one percent (81%) of the respondents who live in unincorporated areas with Neighborhood Watch programs indicated the program is either "very effective" (38%) or "somewhat effective" (43%). There were no discernable patterns among those respondents who said the program in their area is not effective.
These results are virtually unchanged from those observed in the 1999 survey.
Neighborhood Patrols By CCSO
Two-thirds (67%) of the respondents in unincorporated Cherokee said CCSO patrols in their neighborhoods are "adequate". Twenty-two percent (22%) indicated the frequency of patrols is "inadequate". Again, there was no discernable relationship between responses to this question and any of the background characteristics of the respondents.
Perceptions of the adequacy of CCSO patrols have improved significantly between 1999 and 2003 (56% to 67%).
The respondents were asked a number of questions to determine the extent to which they have interacted with the CCSO in its official capacity, and to gauge the respondents' evaluations of the treatment they received during these encounters. Included in these questions were issues related to traffic stops and accidents, requests for assistance at the respondents' places of residence, and interactions between the respondents at the CCSO's main headquarters as well as the South Annex in Woodstock.
Traffic Violations
Fewer than one-in-five respondents (18%) said they were stopped by the CCSO for a traffic violation in the past five years. Further analysis reveals:
Respondents who said they have been stopped by the CCSO for a traffic violation were asked if they received a citation. Sixty percent (60%) indicated they did receive a citation when they were stopped.
Was Respondent Treated Fairly?
When the respondents who said they had been stopped by the Sheriff's Office were asked if they had been treated fairly, only 13% (n = 11) of the respondents who were stopped said they had not been treated fairly by the Sheriff's Office (see Figure H).
The small number of cases in this category makes it difficult to discern any significant correlation with the respondents' background characteristics.
The results related to traffic stops are virtually unchanged from the results of the 1999 survey.
Treatment During Traffic Accident Investigations
Barely one-in-ten respondents (11%) said they had been involved in a traffic accident in the past five years to which the CCSO responded. Virtually all (98%) of these respondents said they were treated fairly by the Sheriff's Office during these encounters. These results are very similar to those of the 1999 survey.
Home Safety And The CCSO
Over one-fourth (28%) of the respondents who live in unincorporated Cherokee said they had contacted the CCSO about a safety problem at their residence. This percentage is slightly lower than the corresponding figure observed in the 1999 survey (36%).
Respondents living in the northwestern part of the county were slightly less likely to have requested the assistance of the Sheriff's Office (23%), while respondents living in the southwestern part of the county were slightly more likely (33%) to have requested such assistance. Respondents who have not been married also were less likely (14%) to have requested the assistance of the Sheriff's Office.
Satisfaction With Response Time
The respondents who had requested the assistance of the Sheriff's Office were asked to evaluate the CCSO's response time to their call for assistance. Only 15% (n = 11) of these respondents said the Sheriff's Office response time was "much too slow" (see Figure I). This represents only a slight decline from 1999, when 10% of the respondents said the response time was "not fast at all".
Satisfaction With Handling Of Call
Two-thirds (67%) of the respondents who had requested assistance at their residence said they were "very satisfied" with the way the CCSO handled their request, while just 8% (n = 6) were "not satisfied at all" (See Figure J). The percentage who were not satisfied is slightly lower than that obtained in the 1999 survey (13%).
Personal Visits To Main Headquarters
The respondents were asked if they had visited the CCSO's main headquarters on Univeter Road in the past five years. Eighteen percent (18%) of the respondents indicated they have visited the CCSO's main headquarters at some point in time during the last five years.
Reasons For Visiting Main Headquarters
The respondents who said they have been to the main headquarters were asked if they had gone there for any of five specific reasons. Twenty-seven percent (27%) of these respondents said they went to the headquarters to obtain a copy of a report (See Figure K); fifteen percent (15%) went to be fingerprinted for job-related reasons, while posting a bond and visiting someone at the county jail were both mentioned by 14% of the respondents. Eight percent (8%) went to obtain a gun permit, while only 5% visited headquarters to file a criminal complaint.
Satisfaction With Treatment At Main Headquarters
Almost three-fourths (72%) of all of the respondents who have visited the main headquarters in the last five years said they were very satisfied with the way they were treated (see Figure L).
For those few people who weren't completely satisfied (n=21), seven said it took too long to get things done at headquarters and six people said the staff was rude. Other problems were cited by just one or two respondents.
The results pertaining to the main headquarters are not significantly different from those from the 1999 survey.
Personal Visits To The South Annex
Only 4% of the respondents (n = 19) said they have visited the South Annex in the past year to file an accident or crime report. Only six individuals said they were not completely satisfied with the treatment they received at the South Annex. No single specific reason for their dissatisfaction was cited by more than two individuals.
The respondents were asked to identify the sources from which they have received information about the Sheriff's Office and the image of the Sheriff's Office usually received from these sources of information. Sources Of Information About The Sheriff's Office
The respondents were asked if they had seen or heard anything about the CCSO from a number of different information sources. Almost six out of every ten respondents (59%) said they had seen something about the Sheriff's Office on at least one of the Atlanta-based local television news broadcasts (see Figure M). Word of mouth and the Cherokee Tribune were both mentioned by 50% of the respondents. Other sources of information included The Cherokee Ledger-News (45%), the Atlanta Journal-Constitution (35%), the radio (30%), and the local access cable television news channel (19%).
For all practical purposes, there is little change in these results from those in 1999. Most Frequent Source Of Information About Sheriff's Office
When asked to specify the single most frequent source of information about the Sheriff's Office, 24% of the respondents mentioned the Cherokee Tribune (see Figure N). Slightly fewer respondents (22%) mentioned the Cherokee Ledger-News, while 17% mentioned news broadcasts from one of the Atlanta based network television stations, and 11% mentioned the Atlanta Journal-Constitution.
Further analysis reveals:
Image Of CCSO Projected By Sources Of Information
The respondents were asked whether most of what they have seen or heard about the CCSO reflects a positive or negative image of the Sheriff's Office. Eighty-five percent (85%) of the respondents said most of what they have heard about the Sheriff's Office has been positive in nature. For some reason, respondents who are divorced or separated are more likely than others to say most of what they have heard about the Sheriff's Office is negative in nature (10% to 3%, respectively), although even among this group the number who said most of what they hear is negative is still extremely small. There was no relationship between responses to this question and other background characteristics.
The percentage of respondents who said most of what they see or hear about the CCSO is positive is significantly higher compared to the results of the 1999 survey (85% to 72%, respectively).
Relative Image Projected By Specific Primary Sources
Each primary source of information about the CCSO was examined to determine which sources are most likely to be disseminating positive (or negative) images of the CCSO. For each of the sources of information, over 80% of the respondents citing each primary source said most of the information they received from that source reflected a positive image of the CCSO. None of the primary sources had as many as 10% of the respondents indicating that most of its information projected a negative image of the CCSO.
Q1
How long have you lived in Cherokee County?
INTERVIEWER: (Code number of years. Code <1 YEAR = 1. DK/NA = 99)
Q2
DO YOU LIVE WITHIN THE CITY LIMITS OF ANY OF THE INCORPORATED CITIES IN CHEROKEE COUNTY? (IF SO, WHICH ONE?)
Q3
DO YOU LIVE EAST OR WEST OF INTERSTATE 575?
Q4
DO YOU LIVE NORTH OR SOUTH OF HIGHWAY 20?
INTERVIEWERS: HIGHWAY 20 RUNS FROM CARTERSVILLE AND THE BARTOW COUNTY LINE, THROUGH THE SOUTHERN END OF CANTON, AND OVER TO FORSYTH COUNTY AND CUMMING.
SEGUE1
We would like to ask a few questions about your opinion of the Cherokee County Sheriff's Office...Please remember that we are asking about the Cherokee County Sheriff's Office, and NOT about the police forces in any of the cities in Cherokee....
Q5
Based on everything you know about the Cherokee County Sheriff's Office, whether through personal experiences or from information you have received from other sources, how would you rate the overall performance of the Sheriff's Office? Would you say the Sheriff's Office does an...
Q6
What about the overall professionalism of the Sheriff's Office? Based on everything you may have seen and heard about the Sheriff's Office, would you say the CCSO is...
Q7
In regards to the overall level of crimes committed against persons or property in Cherokee County as a whole, would you say the crime rate in the county is...
Q8
We have a few questions about safety issues in the area where you live...
We would like you to think about traffic safety in your neighborhood, or in the area where you live. On a scale of 1 to 10, where 1 means traffic in your area is VERY DANGEROUS and 10 means traffic is VERY SAFE, how would you rate overall traffic safety in your area?
INTERVIEWER: (RATE TRAFFIC 1 - 10. CODE DK/NA = 99)
Q9
What about the overall safety of your neighborhood as it relates to possible criminal activity, (such as assaults, burglaries, vandalism, things of that nature)? Again, on a scale of 1 to 10, where 1 is VERY DANGEROUS and 10 is VERY SAFE, how would you rate the overall safety of the area where you live?
INTERVIEWER: (Rate general safety of neighborhood 1 -10. Code DK/NA=99)
Q10
Compared to other areas of Cherokee County, would you say your neighborhood is ...
Q11
Thinking about the kinds of things that go on in the area where you live, what would you say is the most serious problem related to public safety in your neighborhood? Is it...
IF (Q2 <> 7) SKIP TO SEGUE15
Q12
Do you live in a neighborhood that participates in the Neighborhood Watch program?
IF (Q12<> 2)SKIPTO Q14
Q13
How effective would you say the Neighborhood Watch program has been at increasing the overall safety of your neighborhood? Would you say it has been...
Q14
Would you say the patrolling of your neighborhood by the Cherokee County Sheriff's Office is adequate or inadequate?
SEGUE15
We would like to know a little bit about how people in Cherokee County get their information about the operation of the Sheriff's Office. Please tell me whether or not you have read or heard anything about the Cherokee County Sheriff's Office from any of the following sources in the past year...
Q15
Have you seen or heard anything about the Sheriff's Office...
Read each item and check if respondent says "yes"
Q16
Of these sources of information, which SINGLE source provides you with MOST of your information about the Sheriff's Office?
Q17 Would you say most of what you have seen or heard about the Sheriff's Office reflects a positive or negative image of the Sheriff's Office?
Q18
In regards to enforcement of traffic laws in the unincorporated areas of the county, would you say the Sheriff's Office does an...
Q19
We would also like to know whether or not you have had personal contact with representatives of the Sheriff's Office, and in what context....
In the past five years, have you been stopped by a member of the Cherokee County Sheriff's Office for an alleged traffic violation?
IF (Q19> 2) SKIPTO Q22
Q20
Did you receive a citation?
Q21
Do you feel that you were treated fairly by the Sheriff's Office during the traffic stop(s)?
Q22
In the past five years, have you been involved in a traffic accident to which a member of the Sheriff's Office responded?
IF (Q22 <> 2) SKIPTO Q24
Q23
Do you feel you were treated appropriately by the Sheriff's Office?
IF (Q2 <> 7) SKIPTO Q27
Q24
In the past five years, have you ever contacted the Sheriff's Office to request assistance at your place of residence in regards to your personal safety or that of your property?
IF (Q24 <> 2) SKIPTO Q27
Q25
How quickly did the Sheriff's Office respond to your request for assistance? Would you say they responded...
Q26
Regardless of how long it took for the Sheriff's Office to respond to your request, how satisfied were you with the way they handled your request for assistance? Would you say you were...
Q27
In the past five years, have you visited the Sheriff's main headquarters off of Univeter Road?
IF (Q27 <> 2) SKIPTO Q31
Q27B
Have you visited the Sheriff's main headquarters off of Univeter Road since their new office building opened in September 2002?
Q28
Did you visit the main headquarters for any of the following reasons?
(Interviewers: Read each one separately and select all that apply)
Q29
How satisfied are you with the way you were treated at the headquarters? Overall, would you say you are....
IF (Q29 = 1) SKIPTO Q31
IF (Q29 = 4) SKIPTO Q31
Q30
Is there a specific reason why you were less than totally satisfied?
(Interviewers: Select all that apply)
Q31
Have you ever visited the Sheriff's Office at the South Annex in Woodstock to file an accident or crime report?
INTERVIEWERS: Cherokee residents also can renew their auto registrations and drivers licenses at the South Annex building. These are NOT functions of the sheriff's office, however. If R mentions that they have been there for these purposes, remind them of this fact and ask specifically about visits to report crimes and file accident reports....
IF (Q31 <> 2) SKIPTO Q34
Q32
How satisfied are you with the way the Sheriff's Office at the South Annex handled your requests for assistance? Would you say you are....
IF (Q32 = 1) SKIPTO Q34
IF (Q32 = 4) SKIPTO Q34
Q33
Is there a specific reason why you were less than totally satisfied?
(Interviewer: Select all that apply)
Q34
Just a few more questions now....
In your opinion, has the crime rate in Cherokee County...
Q35
Are you registered to vote in Cherokee County?
DEMOG
We are almost finished. We would like to ask you a few questions about yourself. Please remember that all of your responses are confidential and the results will be used for statistical purposes only.
Q36
What zipcode do you live in?
(CODE 5 DIGIT ZIPCODE. IF RESPONDENT DOES NOT KNOW, ASK THEM IF THEY HAVE A PIECE OF MAIL NEARBY WITH THEIR ZIPCODE ON IT. IF RESPONDENT STILL CANNOT ANSWER, CODE=39999.)
Q37
Are you a...
Q38
How many children under the age 10 currently live at this residence?
Q39
How many young people between the ages of 10 and 17 currently live at this residence?
Q40
Which of the following best describes your employment status? Are you....
YRBORN
In what year were you born?
MARITAL
What is your current marital status? Are you ...
INCOME
Thinking of everyone who lives in your household, which of the following best describes your TOTAL HOUSEHOLD INCOME in 2002? Please stop me when I get to the appropriate category...
GENDER
That is all the questions we have! Thanks for helping us with our survey...
CODE GENDER BY VOICE: 1=MALE 2 = FEMALE