Denver’s police monitor wants to know whether residents are satisfied with the way the police department handles their complaints.
A survey was mailed to 1,100 Denver residents who filed complaints against police officers in an effort to improve the department’s complaint process and better inform the public about how it works.
The survey, conducted by Ohio University, asks if residents had problems filing the complaint; solicits their opinions about the objectivity of internal affairs investigators; and asks for their perceptions of how the police department treats its citizens.
“I think this is a really important project and I am impressed they were willing to do it,” said Joseph De Angelis, assistant professor of sociology and anthropology at Ohio University. “Most police departments would not allow a project like this, so it’s good they are taking this seriously.”
Ohio University sent the surveys in November on behalf of Denver’s independent police monitor Richard Rosenthal, who is expected to compile quarterly reports about the results.
“It is designed to be a management tool for the office of the independent monitor, a window that helps them identify the strengths and weaknesses from the perception of the community,” De Angelis said.
The surveys were mailed to people in the police department’s internal affairs database who had filed complaints against officers from Aug. 1, 2003, to Aug. 1, 2005.
Only 20 percent of the surveys were returned to the university. The deadline was in mid-December, but De Angelis said surveys kept coming in after the due date and they decided to allow more time in case more came in. Because the surveys were late coming in, the results probably won’t be available until March, Rosenthal said.
The recipients of the surveys received three letters containing the survey and an explanation about why the data were being collected.
Rosenthal also had Ohio University conduct similar surveys in Portland, Ore., where he last worked as a police monitor.
In Portland, satisfaction about the complaint process and knowledge about how it works grew over time, even though satisfaction about the outcomes of the complaints remained low, Rosenthal said.
In Portland, residents began to see how their complaints were being handled instead of believing that the problems went into a black hole.
Staff writer Felisa Cardona can be reached at 303-820-1219 or fcardona@denverpost.com.
