FSU researcher launches survey on crime, police as Real-Time Crime Center makes debut

Elena Barrera, Tallahassee Democrat
·3 min read
FSU's College of Criminology and Criminal Justice building.
FSU's College of Criminology and Criminal Justice building.

How satisfied are you with city and county law enforcement's efforts to address crime?

Researchers from the College of Criminology and Criminal Justice at Florida State University are working to gather Leon County residents' answer to this question and many others in the latest study they are conducting.

A link to the online survey was mailed in a letter to a sample of randomly selected residents in hopes of understanding "the community's perceptions of crime, satisfaction with law enforcement and views on the use of technology by law enforcement in Tallahassee and Leon County."

The 15-minute questionnaire emphasizes questions gauging peoples feelings on new technologies like body cameras, facial recognition, gunshot detection and automated license plate readers.

Facial recognition technology, if implemented, would allow a computer to identify a person based on a picture.

Questions ask participants to indicate how much they agree or disagree with statements like these:

  • Public safety cameras are useful for reducing crime

  • I would feel safer if a public safety camera was installed in my neighborhood

  • The use of body-worn cameras increases my trust in police

  • The use of automated license plate readers by the police infringes on my privacy

The survey is also designed to gauge satisfaction with law enforcement and feelings of safety through questions like these:

  • How satisfied are you with the job the police are doing to address crime in your neighborhood?

  • How satisfied are you with the job the police are doing to address crime in Tallahassee-Leon County overall?

  • How is personal safety in your neighborhood compared with five years ago?

  • All things considered, what do you think this neighborhood will be like in a few years from now?

"The insights gained from this study will help enhance policy-community relations and will inform the use of technology by law enforcement in Tallahassee and Leon County," the letter says. "Your participation in the survey can contribute to meaningful improvements in our community's safety and well-being."

The study is associated with the Leon County Sheriff's Office and Tallahassee Police Department's Real-Time Crime Center, an initiative that launched at the beginning of this year to facilitate collaboration between law enforcement to solve crime faster.

Brian Stults, the director of the research project, declined to comment on the survey to uphold the integrity of the study while it is still being conducted.

Public information officers at both the Tallahassee Police Department and the Leon County Sheriff's Officer were unaware of the project when the Tallahassee Democrat reached out for comment.

TPD, LCSO, Florida Department of Law Enforcement and FSU Police Department all partnered to work in the center, and the College of Criminology and Criminal Justice serves as its research arm.

The survey comes amid a summer surge in shootings and as the center gives the public a first look at the new facility at FSU's Innovation Park. Though opened earlier this year, all the agencies are coming together Sept. 15 for an official ribbon cutting ceremony.

Elena Barrera can be reached at ebarrera@tallahassee.com. Follow her on Twitter @elenabarreraaa.

This article originally appeared on Tallahassee Democrat: FSU survey asks Tallahassee about law enforcement, crime, technology