SACRAMENTO, Calif. — In an effort to fight violent crime in the city, the Sacramento Police Department is taking an out-of-the-box approach toward engaging with community members.
Right now, they're actively looking for help with a survey that asks about residents' experiences where they live. They say now is the time to speak up and be part of the solution.
"Shooting, drugs, that's the main thing," said Franklin Scott, who has lived in Del Paso Heights since 1956.
At 89 years old, Scott says he's witnessed it all in his Del Paso Heights community.
Police say the area is one of three locations found to generate almost half of the city's violent crime, happening within 7 square miles of the city.
The other two are Oak Park and Mack Road in South Sacramento.
"Over the past year, the Sacramento Police Department has implemented a violent crime reduction strategy. And the overarching theme is that the Sacramento Police Department cannot address violent crime alone," said Sgt. Zach Eaton, spokesperson for the Sacramento Police Department.
Sacramento police say reducing violent crime is a shared responsibility between the department and the community. This is why they're asking residents to fill out an anonymous survey.
Questions include: what are your perceptions of your neighborhood, what is your experience with gun violence, and how likely do you believe you may become a victim of gun violence?
"We know as the police department that we can't just conduct enforcement in these areas. There's much more to bringing down the violent crime rate, like for example, conducting prevention and intervention, interventions with our community-based organizations that we work with," said Eaton.
That also includes addressing root causes like poverty, employment or addiction.
One of the organizations they work with is Brother 2 Brother mentoring.
"Things are being done. Chief (Kathy) Lester is definitely in favor of community-based organizations and allowing them to take the lead where you know, perhaps police services are not needed," said Mervin Brookins, who is the founder and CEO of Brothers 2 Brothers Mentoring.
Brookins says he understands why some community members are afraid to speak up. But he says now is the time to mend those relationships if residents want a brighter future.
"I think right now Sac PD is extending a hand and saying, 'Hey, we want to hear what you gotta say.' So we have to do our part, and step up to the plate and say these are our concerns," said Brookins.
So far, there have been about a thousand responses since the survey was opened. It's both in English and Spanish, and people can call 311 for other languages.
The plan is to keep it open until March 27, and then Sacramento police will publish a report later this year based on the results of the survey.
You can quickly get to the survey here at Qualtrics Survey | Qualtrics Experience Management (csus.edu).
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