Columbia’s Citizen Survey reveals residents want police services improved

The results from Columbia’s 2017 Citizen Survey have been released.

Officials said the survey showed that residents generally have a positive view of the city.

City of Columbia Civic Relations Officer Toni Messina said that the survey responses are a snapshot of citizen views and a good way to capture opinions from the general public.

“This is one way to hear from people who may not have the time to express their views in other ways. We’re grateful for their guidance,” Messina said.

The survey was conducted in the fall. Surveys were sent to a randomly selected sample of households within the city. Responses were collected from 850 households in the random sample and from 158 households that responded online.

Officials said the survey serves as a tool for the city to identify and respond to resident concerns and assess citizen satisfaction and community priorities.

Results show Columbia ranks higher than the Missouri/Kansas average for customer service.

Residents identified police services and the condition of major streets as top priorities for improvement.

Officials also said the ratings for overall quality of public safety services provided and overall feeling of safety in the city both dropped in satisfaction from 2016.

Citizens rated Columbia higher than state and national averages when it comes to overall quality of life.

To see the full results of the survey, click here.