Florham Park Police Department Community Satisfaction Survey Executive Summary Survey Overview The 2016 Community Survey is the first time the Florham Park Police Department has reached out to the community and solicited feedback in order to gauge how effectively we provide our services. The police department partnered with Dr. James F. Ford, Jr. - Professorr of Criminal Justice to design the questionnaire in a way that would solicit specific information necessary to make a thorough assessment. Residents were asked to answer nineteen (19) questions pertaining to their perception of crime, effectiveness of police department services, awareness of community outreach programs and the public image of our officers. Additionally, residents were asked demographic questions pertaining to how long they have resided in Florham Park and the street on whichh they reside. Lastly, we ended with an open ended question soliciting comments or concerns. Data was collected from 675 residents in the Borough of Florham Park through an online survey tool and conventional means. Distribution of this survey to our residents was accomplished through several means including social media (Facebook and Twitter), our web site (www.fppd.net) and with the assistance of various community groups such as the Seniors, Recreation and Neighborhood Watch.
Overall the respondents have a positive view of the Florham Park Police Department. The top three concerns, identified by a majority of the residents, were Speeding, Larceny/Theft and Drug Use/Underage Alcohol Consumption. The Florham Park Police Department, through several unique programs, addresses all three of these concerns and will continue to find innovative ways to focus on these important issues over the coming years. Residential speeding was the main concern of respondents. The Florham Park Police Department recognizes this as an important safety issue and has been aggressively targeting the problem through a three phased approach including; traffic studies on all borough streets, education (digital sign board) and aggressive enforcement. The problem of speeding is a problem the police alone cannot solve. The assistance and buy in by the community in making a conscious effort to obey the speed limit is paramount. Larceny/theft was the second most reported concern by respondents. Larceny/theft continues to be a crime of opportunity. Most thefts are due to victims leaving doors open or valuables out unsecured and in plain view. The FPPD recently trained five (5) officers in conducting Residential Security Surveys. This group of officers will assist residents in making their residences a harder target for would be criminals. Although we will never totally eliminate incidents of larceny/theft we can dramatically reduce same by educating the community through community outreach programs such as Neighborhood Watch. Drug use and alcohol consumption by minors was the third biggest concern on the survey by respondents. The Florham Park Police Department takes an aggressive approach focusing on both education and enforcement in order to effectively address drugs and underage alcohol use. FPPD, through the DARE program, reaches all 5th grade residents who attend public or private schools (located within the borough), and teaches them decision making skills necessary to resist drugs and alcohol. Additionally, FPPD School Resource Officers continue to educate 6th,7th and 8th grade students with special presentations throughout their middle school experience. In the coming months the FPPD will be creating a presentation for parents to help them identify signs of drug and/or alcohol use by their child. Lastly, the FPPD assigns officers to the Morris County Narcotics Task Force where drug dealers are targeted in an attempt to slow the flow of drugs into our community. 2
Perception of Crime Question: Taking into consideration the past 12 months, what is your perception of crime in Florham Park? Increased 12% Decreased 15% Remained the same 73% Overall, seventy three percent of the respondents felt crime has remained the same. We are fortunate in Florham Park to have a relatively low crime rate. The Florham Park Police Department reports all crimes to the New Jersey State Police who in turn prepares a report and forwards same to the FBI for purposes of compiling the Uniformed Crime Report (UCR). This report, compiled annually, tracks the following nine (9) crimes for purposes of assigning a crime index rate for each municipality within the state. o Murder o Rape o Robbery o Assault (Weapons/Aggravated) o Assault (Simple) o Burglary o Larceny - Theft o Motor Vehicle Theft o Arson 3
The following are the Borough of Florham Park UCR statistics for years 2013-2015: Crime 2013 Murder 0 Rape 0 Robbery 0 Assault 3 (Aggravated/Weapon) Assault (Simple) 4 Burglary 9 Larceny - Theft 82 Motor Vehicle Theft 5 Arson 0 TOTAL CRIME 103 INDEX 2014 2015 0 0 1 0 0 2 1 1 10 15 10 12 88 68 4 4 0 0 114 102 As you can see the crime rate in Florham Park has remained relatively the same. Our biggest issue, larceny decreased by 22.7% in 2015. Responsiveness of the Police Department Question: Is the Florham Park Police Department responsive to your needs? No 2% Yes 98% 4
Question: Would you hesitate to call the Florham Park Police Department? Yes 2% No 98% Question: The Florham Park Police Department responds to ALL calls in a timely manner. 35% 34% 29% 5
Question: Telephone calls to the Florham Park Police Department are handled professionally and courteously. 39% 20% 0% 40% Question: The Florham Park Police Department publicizes its services and programs adequately. 26% 18% 8% 47% 6
Question: How often do officers from the FPPD patrol your streets. Never 2% Always 15% Rarely 10% Often 36% Sometimes 37% The FPPD recognizes this is a very difficult question to answer unless you constantly watch your street for police presence. The Florham Park Police Department utilizes GPS technology in their patrol cars and supervisors constantly monitors officer's patrol routes to assure all sections of Florham Park are patrolled evenly and effectively. 7
Police Department Image The Florham Park Police Department works hard to portray a positive and professional image within the community. Earning the respect of the community is of the utmost importance to the department. Question: Florham Park Police Officers look professional in their appearance. 2% 0% 55% 42% Question: Florham Park Police Officers treat people with courtesy and respect. 47% 6% 45% 0% 2% 8
Question: Florham Park Police Officers respect the rights of individuals and treat people fairly. 40% 15% 43% Question: The Florham Park Police Department has a good public image. 7% 46% 45% 9
Community Outreach Question: The Florham Park Police Department provides appropriate community outreach and educational programs. 27%, 20% e 0% 3% 50% Question: The Florham Park Police Department publicizes its services and programs adequately. 26% 8% 18% 47% 10
Question: Are you aware that the FPPD uses social media such as Facebook and Twitter? No 20% Yes 80% The Florham Park Police Department has a strong presence in the community through outreach programs designed to build a bond with the community. Some of our more popular programs include DARE, Project Safe Night Out, National Night Out, Neighborhood Watch, Project Lifesaver, Coffee with a Cop and Home Security Surveys. In order to publicize our programs the Florham Park Police Department utilizes our strong social media presence. Through Facebook and Twitter the department effectively reaches a majority of the residents and provides them with timely and relevant outreach and public safety information. FPPD recognizes the gaps in our communication efforts due to a section of the community who do not use social media. FPPD routinely attend senior and AARP meetings in an attempt to reach those who may not be on social media. Additional ways the department disseminates information is through the school system and the electric sign board at the intersection of Briarwood and Ridgedale Avenue. 11
Comments/Concerns The open comments section was one of the most valuable sections of our survey. Below you will find some of the comments, concerns and how the FPPD is addressing same. Speeding dominated the concerns of the residents in this section. The FPPD takes speeding, especially in residential neighborhoods, very seriously. Daily our officers set up speed enforcement posts on specific streets at specific times based on traffic studies conducted by our Traffic Safety Unit. These studies can be found at http://fppd.net/traffic-safety/traffic-studies. Several residents requested more digital speed signs permanently placed around town. The FPPD is currently identifying locations where speeds are highest and where the signs will have the most impact. We hope to roll out additional signs later this year. Several respondents expressed concern about traffic and parking issues in the center of town. The FPPD deploys a minimum of one officer at all times to focus on traffic and parking issues in the center. Often the officer is on foot or on the bike enforcing parking violations. The FPPD Traffic Safety Unit studies accidents that occur in the business district and routinely deploys officers to trouble areas to enforce violations that contribute to accidents. While a great deal of the accidents are caused by careless backing out of parking spaces other issues include distracted driving and speeding through parking lots. There was several comments on the survey as to the functions of the Special Law Enforcement Officers (SLEO). The FPPD currently has three (3) SLEO's. These officer attend an intense academy over a period of 8 months and are fully trained and certified by the New Jersey Police Training Commission. The SLEO's are used to supplement but not replace full time officers. SLEO's currently work court security, conduct house checks for residents who go away on vacation, conduct high visibility residential patrol and assist with traffic and security at special events. Several comments were made on the survey pertaining to parking violations at the Brooklake and Briarwood Schools. Over the past year the FPPD has been working with the Superintendent of Schools and the PTA to make drop off and pick up as safe as possible for our children. The FPPD deploys School Resource Officers as well as officers from our Traffic Safety Unit to the schools daily to make sure cars park legally and pick up goes efficiently and safely. One respondent asked for a self defense class for women. We took the advice and we are in the process of planning a free safety seminar for women. Stay tuned for details. 12
Several respondents indicated they would like our officers to engage the public more in residential neighborhoods and at sports fields and parks. Our officers are encouraged to stop and speak with residents while on patrol. With the arrival of the nice weather you will see officers on bikes patrolling parks and residential neighborhoods. Soon we will roll out our 4th edition trading cards which is an excellent opportunity for officers to have positive contact with the public, in particular the youth. Another program designed to get the officers into the neighborhoods and interacting with the youth is the "Bike Helmet Rewards" Program. This program rewards those under the age of 18 wearing a bike helmet with a "ticket" redeemable for an ice cream at a participating sponsor. This program has proven to be very successful in the past and will continue in the future. Conclusion The goal of the Florham Park Police Department is to provide efficient and effective public safety services to the Borough of Florham Park. The goal of this survey was to improve our operations based on the feedback of our stakeholders. This survey validated that the vast majority of the community supports the police department's mission. Over the next few months we will work to address concerns identified in this survey in order to make our department even more responsive to the needs of our community. In partnership with the community we will continue to make Florham Park a safe community to live, work and visit. Robert M. Treiber Chief of Police 13