NCJ Number
198842
Journal
Campus Law Enforcement Journal Volume: 32 Issue: 6 Dated: November/December 2002 Pages: 28-30
Date Published
November 2002
Length
3 pages
Annotation
This study examined campus community satisfaction with the delivery of police and parking services at West Texas A&M University.
Abstract
The authors, in collaboration with the University Police Department, developed a questionnaire that solicited information on sociodemographic backgrounds, victimization incidents, the number and nature of contacts with the police department, satisfaction with police and parking services, and knowledge regarding campus parking regulations. The survey involved approximately one-third of the student population and nearly all of the faculty and staff. Out of 3,150 surveys mailed, 895 were completed and returned (28-percent response rate); the student response rate was 24 percent, and the faculty and staff was 42 percent. Less than 10 percent of both groups of respondents reported being a victim of crime on the campus. More than 90 percent of both groups reported feeling comfortable about calling campus police, and half of the students and more than 75 percent of the faculty and staff rated the overall performance of campus police personnel as good or very good. Problem areas for students concerned the effectiveness of campus police in solving their problems and fairness in police actions. For the faculty/staff, concerns were problem solution and response time. Concerns about campus security pertained to alcohol abuse and drug abuse. Fear of crime, however, was not significant. Forty-five percent of students and more than half of faculty/staff rated their contacts with Parking Services as good or very good. The authors provide contact information for any campus police departments that might wish to use the questionnaire in assessing the impact and level of satisfaction of students and faculty/staff served by the department.