The latest biennial survey measuring residents attitudes about interactions with Seattle Police and crime are generally positive, though there are still areas for improvement, say city officials.

This year's survey of 1,205 Seattle residents, conducted last spring, measured opinions on neighborhood quality, neighborhood crime, neighborhood policing, voluntary contact with police, involuntary contact with police, police effectiveness, police misconduct and respect for police.

In 2002 the city unveiled a strategy to increase police accountability and improve police-community relations.

"2006 saw the number of crimes in Seattle to be the lowest since 1976 and, when adjusted for population, we had a crime rate not seen since 1972," said Police Chief Gil Kerlikowske. "So far this year crime has continued its downward trend. Together, the Seattle Police Department and our community have made a significant difference in making Seattle safe. This is clearly shown in the results of this third biennial survey."

Every two years since 2003, the city has taken the community's pulse to understand how it feels about safety, security and the police department. During that time, the city has installed digital video cameras in all patrol and traffic units, implemented a written warning system to document traffic stops, held community forums in each of the city's precincts, improved police accountability, and invested in building more meaningful relationships between the police and the communities they serve.

The results of the 2007 survey show significant progress when measured over four years. In 2007 Seattle residents responding to the survey rated the overall effectiveness of the Seattle police higher than they did in 2005 and 2003. Most respondents said they live in a good or excellent neighborhood and feel safe in their neighborhood at night.

While most residents are satisfied with their encounters with Seattle police officers, the survey also shows more can be done. For example, survey results show the greatest dissatisfaction is in providing follow-up information to crime victims.

"Our Neighborhood Policing Plan will directly address this issue," Kerlikowske said. "The community has been asking for a more responsive level of policing and this plan will give officers additional time to be proactive in the neighborhoods they serve."

Technological improvements the department is making starting in 2008 will help the neighborhood policing plan implementation. In addition to making it easier to dispatch officers and improving officer safety, a new computer-aided dispatch system will allow the department to better track and match workload to deployment. In-car information systems will be directly tied to a new records management system, reducing the time officers spend on paperwork and providing additional time for proactive policing.

The 2007 survey indicates people are more satisfied when they are stopped by the police than they were two or four years ago. Nearly one in five Seattle residents responding to the survey was stopped by the police in the last year. Most of those stopped by the police believed that the officer behaved appropriately during the stop and they were satisfied with the encounter. Kerlikowske attributes this increased satisfaction to improved officer training and oversight.

Although progress has been made in reducing concerns about police misconduct, about 26 percent of Seattle residents responding to the survey believe that some type of police misconduct is a major problem in the Seattle police department. Concerns about racial profiling and stopping people without good reason have lessened since the 2003 survey but there still exists a disproportionate concern in some communities of color. This survey will help the department focus its proactive community outreach efforts and monitor the impacts of those efforts on an ongoing basis, as well as fine-tune officer training.