Spring 2024 Sheriffs and Police Chiefs

Q3g. How much of a problem, if at all, are the following personnel issues for your office/department?

g. Too much required training

Q3f. How much of a problem, if at all, are the following personnel issues for your office/department?

f. Lack of professional development and/or ongoing training

Q3e. How much of a problem, if at all, are the following personnel issues for your office/department? 

e. Negative public interactions or perceptions

Q3d. How much of a problem, if at all, are the following personnel issues for your office/department?

d. Officer morale

Q3c. How much of a problem, if at all, are the following personnel issues for your office/department? 

c.  Poaching  (i.e., officers leaving for positions with other local agencies)

Q3b. How much of a problem, if at all, are the following personnel issues for your office/department? 

b. Retaining current officers

Q3b. How much of a problem, if at all, are the following personnel issues for your office/department? 

b. Retaining current officers

Q3a. How much of a problem, if at all, are the following personnel issues for your office/department?

a.  Recruiting qualified officers

Q9f.  If new state or federal funding for law enforcement became available to your office/department, which of the following, if any, would be a priority for allocating those funds?

f. Updating current equipment

Q24a.  Next, thinking about the equipment and technology used by your office/department, how likely or unlikely is it that your office/department will use the following types of equipment in the near future, or are they already being used? 

a. Unmanned aerial vehicles (i.e., drones)

Q28b. Do you agree or disagree with the following statements? 

b. County prosecutors can be trusted to support the police.

Q26.  In some places, automated tools are used to make decisions about public safety risks that in the past were made by humans. For example, software tracking and keywords may be used to monitor social media for events where a crime might happen. In your opinion, are the decisions made by these tools (such as AI and machine learning) generally more or less accurate than those made by humans?

Q25g.  (Please only answer for those technologies that are currently in use in your jurisdiction)  Thinking about the positives and negatives of your office’s or department’s use of these policing technologies or equipment (e.g., financial impacts, reduced crime, community opposition to a technology, etc.), do you agree or disagree that they have been a worthwhile investment for the community or communities your office/department serves?

g. Predictive policing tools (e.g., using AI to help anticipate or assess crime)

Q25f.  (Please only answer for those technologies that are currently in use in your jurisdiction)  Thinking about the positives and negatives of your office’s or department’s use of these policing technologies or equipment (e.g., financial impacts, reduced crime, community opposition to a technology, etc.), do you agree or disagree that they have been a worthwhile investment for the community or communities your office/department serves?

f. Facial recognition technology

Q25b.  (Please only answer for those technologies that are currently in use in your jurisdiction)  Thinking about the positives and negatives of your office’s or department’s use of these policing technologies or equipment (e.g., financial impacts, reduced crime, community opposition to a technology, etc.), do you agree or disagree that they have been a worthwhile investment for the community or communities your office/department serves? 

b. Dashboard cameras

Q25e.  (Please only answer for those technologies that are currently in use in your jurisdiction)  Thinking about the positives and negatives of your office’s or department’s use of these policing technologies or equipment (e.g., financial impacts, reduced crime, community opposition to a technology, etc.), do you agree or disagree that they have been a worthwhile investment for the community or communities your office/department serves?

e. Automated license plate readers

Q25d.  (Please only answer for those technologies that are currently in use in your jurisdiction)  Thinking about the positives and negatives of your office’s or department’s use of these policing technologies or equipment (e.g., financial impacts, reduced crime, community opposition to a technology, etc.), do you agree or disagree that they have been a worthwhile investment for the community or communities your office/department serves?

d. Other public surveillance cameras (i.e. on buildings, streetlights, etc.)

Q25c.  (Please only answer for those technologies that are currently in use in your jurisdiction)  Thinking about the positives and negatives of your office’s or department’s use of these policing technologies or equipment (e.g., financial impacts, reduced crime, community opposition to a technology, etc.), do you agree or disagree that they have been a worthwhile investment for the community or communities your office/department serves? 

c. Body cameras

Q24f.  Next, thinking about the equipment and technology used by your office/department, how likely or unlikely is it that your office/department will use the following types of equipment in the near future, or are they already being used? 

f. Facial recognition technology

Q25a.  (Please only answer for those technologies that are currently in use in your jurisdiction)  Thinking about the positives and negatives of your office’s or department’s use of these policing technologies or equipment (e.g., financial impacts, reduced crime, community opposition to a technology, etc.), do you agree or disagree that they have been a worthwhile investment for the community or communities your office/department serves?

a. Unmanned aerial vehicles (i.e. drones)

Q24g.  Next, thinking about the equipment and technology used by your office/department, how likely or unlikely is it that your office/department will use the following types of equipment in the near future, or are they already being used? 

g. Predictive policing tools (e.g., using AI to help anticipate or assess crime) 

Q24e.  Next, thinking about the equipment and technology used by your office/department, how likely or unlikely is it that your office/department will use the following types of equipment in the near future, or are they already being used?

e. Automated license plate readers

Q24d.  Next, thinking about the equipment and technology used by your office/department, how likely or unlikely is it that your office/department will use the following types of equipment in the near future, or are they already being used? 

d. Other public surveillance cameras (e.g., on buildings, streetlights, etc.)

Q24c.  Next, thinking about the equipment and technology used by your office/department, how likely or unlikely is it that your office/department will use the following types of equipment in the near future, or are they already being used?

c. Body cameras

Q24b.  Next, thinking about the equipment and technology used by your office/department, how likely or unlikely is it that your office/department will use the following types of equipment in the near future, or are they already being used?

b. Dashboard cameras

To what extent, if any, would you say the following are currently (or have recently been) problems in the community or communities your office/department serves?

f. Crime overall in your jurisdiction

Q23. Now we would like you to think specifically about gun diversion programs for individuals with no prior criminal history who are facing charges for criminal possession of a weapon. Through a gun diversion program, they would have an opportunity to avoid incarceration and have their conviction dismissed in return for participating in an intervention program (e.g., a nightly curfew, random drug tests, unannounced home visits by police, therapy, skills training, etc.). In general, would you support or oppose this type of gun diversion program in your county?

Q22.  Regardless of whether or not your county has pre-trial diversion programs, in general, do you support or oppose these types of diversion programs in your county?

Q21d. Regardless of whether or not your county currently has pre-trial diversion programs (e.g., drug/alcohol treatment courts or programs, Veterans court, etc.), do you feel the use of pre-trial diversion programs in general helps or harms…

d. the wellbeing of defendants with mental illness or drug dependency? 

Q21c. Regardless of whether or not your county currently has pre-trial diversion programs (e.g., drug/alcohol treatment courts or programs, Veterans court, etc.), do you feel the use of pre-trial diversion programs in general helps or harms…

c. your officers' workload