City Services Satisfaction Survey 2006 City Services Satisfaction Survey | Page 27

Rating Of Services On Specific Attributes By General Population
Police Department . The Arlington police department continues to be rated moderately
high to high on all attribute measures. Areas in which the police department is rated
highest include courtesy of officers, providing a feeling of safety, emergency response
time, and visibility. Areas in which the police department is perceived as having some
room for improvement include reducing drug activities, reducing gang problems, and
enforcing traffic regulations, corresponding to citizens’ concerns.
Of community policing efforts, residents are most likely to be aware of police on park
patrols (46%), talking with residents (45%), and involvement with children (40%).
Residents are least likely aware of police attending community meetings, talking with
business owners, or addressing quality of life offenses. Citizens’ awareness of
community policing efforts remains generally consistent from the previous years, but
police tends to be perceived less involved with children and attending community
meetings compared to 2000.
Fire Department. The Arlington fire department continues to be rated high to very high
in terms of emergency services and community education services.
Streets. Streets in Arlington continue to be perceived generally as an area where there
is much room for improvement. Specific areas in which less than 60% of Arlington
residents give the city a rating of “good” or “excellent” – which suggests room for
improvement – include availability of sidewalks and management of traffic during peak
traffic hours. It is notable that management of traffic during peak hours is rated
significantly higher than in 2003, which indicates there has been improvement over the
years. Residents’ rating of condition of major city streets shows a three-year upward
trend and has increased significantly from 2000, while rating of condition of
neighborhood streets has shown a significant decline from 2003.
Among problems when driving in Arlington, areas perceived as at least a minor problem
by more than three-quarters of Arlington residents are: too much traffic on city streets,
speeding, and cars running red lights. Mention of “too much construction” as a problem
continues to have declined significantly since 2003. However, this drop has not relieved
traffic concerns. Similar to 2003, about 40% of residents say that driving or traveling
within Arlington is more difficult than a year ago while 15% say it is easier.
Decision Analyst, Inc.
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