SACRAMENTO, Calif. — A new community survey found that less than half of adults in Sacramento were satisfied with the city's police services.
According to the survey, one of the most important issues it touched on was the topic of trust in the Sacramento Police Department and satisfaction with police services. While the survey said responses to those two inquiries were generally positive, they found much lower assessments from Black residents and in neighborhoods with larger minority populations.
“On many questions, White (non-Hispanic Euro Americans) and Black (non-Hispanic African Americans) residents hold opposing opinions,” the survey said.
While 46% of adults found the city's police services to be good or very good compared to 21% finding it poor or very poor, the figure is almost reversed when looking at the response of Black residents.
Forty two percent of Black residents rated police services as poor or very poor, and ratings for good or very good were around 25%. Other assessments that standout include about 75% of Black residents saying they aren't confident that officers treat all groups of people equally.
The survey said a near majority (48%) of people citywide believe police are fair when dealing with people, but about 24% of people disagree and about 28% are undecided.
"It is on this question we see some of the largest differences between race/ethnic groups as well as across police districts," the survey said.
In regard to use of force, a majority of people (57%) felt that officers use an appropriate amount of force. However, nearly seven in 10 Black residents disagree, claiming that police use more force than is necessary.
In a news release from Sacramento Police Department, the survey identifies areas where the department performed well and areas where it can improve. The survey will be used on an annual basis so the department can track their progress in meeting the needs of their communities.
The 1,105 person survey was done in two different waves, between Oct. 18 and Nov 11 in 2018 and between Jan. 28 and Feb. 10 in 2019. It was completed in partnership with Sacramento State University, University of San Diego, California Endowment, California Wellness Foundation and Sierra Health Foundation.
For the results and details from the survey, click HERE. For a description of results related to difference neighborhoods in the city, Sacramento Police Department had some of their captains post videos for North Command, Central Command, East Command, and South Command.
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