"Safety" is a measure used in happiness surveys worldwide. Its universality speaks to a basic human right—to feel secure in our communities and our homes. Our confidence in local law enforcement affects how we live on a daily basis and even, if choice is an option, where we live.
Our perception of community safety is important not only to our physical and psychological health, but also to the success of local businesses and the vitality of our communities. Austinites are pleased with the city's level of community policing, according to results of a survey released just this month. Forefront Austin reports on its key findings. According to a report released in early July, the citizens of Austin feel safe in their homes and in their community.
The survey results are contained in a report commissioned by the Austin City Council [6] to help guide its deliberations on spending for public safety in next year’s budget. The overwhelming majority of the 350 individuals surveyed say that they feel safe in Austin, including downtown—although less so in the evening—in parks, and in their neighborhoods.
As summarized in the report, “Their answers indicated that police visibility is generally high and that residents are ovrall (cq) satisfied with the police service they are getting. Areas that need more attention relate to investigations, especially of property crimes and the number of detectives. There was also an expressed perception that APD may not have enough officers on the street to maintain a low crime rate. A majority of respondents feel that traffic enforcement is at a satisfactory level. Less than half thought the department should spend more time ticketing drivers who violate traffic laws.” Read the full report here [7].
The 130-page report, undertaken by the Police Executive Research Forum [8] of Washington, D.C., says the Austin Police Department [9] needs to add about 250 personnel, including 155 officers and 78 detectives, over the next five years, if the recent trend of a lower crime rate is to continue. Austin is expected to grow to a population of approximately 920,000 by 2015, a 12-percent increase.
The 2011 Annual Crime and Traffic Report [10], released in late April, showed that Austin experienced substantial drops in violent and property crimes last year, compared with 2010. According to the FBI-compiled data, there was a reduction in the number of assaults, rapes, burglaries, and auto thefts across the city in 2010. The rate of violent crimes per 100,000 people decreased by slightly more than eight per cent in 2011, from 476 in 2010 to 434 in 2011.
The annual FBI report did note that the Austin Police Department's rate of solving property crimes is below the national average. According the latest data available, the national clearance rate was 18 percent. Austin’s clearance rate was 12 percent.
Since mid-2011, APD has been focusing more of its resources on using DNA evidence to help solve burglaries. Austin Police Chief Art Acevedo believes that this approach will help improve the clearance rate for property crimes.
According to city officials, one positive factor that contributes to Austin's overall "Gross Domestic Happiness" is the community's lower crime rate, despite million-dollar budget cuts to Police Department operations in recent years.
Acevedo told the local news media at the time, "When you consider the fact that the Police Department lost several million dollars in annual funding, plus the fact that we are one of the leaner agencies in the country...it speaks volumes to the actions and commitment of our men and women."