Supporting Our Police: Gauging Officer Wellbeing and Department Needs Through Anonymous Feedback
Police departments face immense challenges serving their communities safely and effectively amidst rising crime, growing anti-police sentiment, and officer shortages. While chiefs aim to protect their personnel and maintain public trust, understanding officers’ true experiences and needs is difficult. Surveys present a solution, offering confidential insights direct from the force to guide policies, training, and resources. This article will discuss constructing anonymous police surveys to uncover department improvement opportunities while demonstrating leadership’s commitment to supporting the workforce.
Why Surveys Are Vital
Police culture has traditionally valued self-reliance and stoicism, leaving many struggling officers hesitant to admit vulnerabilities or ask for assistance. Surveys bypass these barriers by giving personnel an anonymous platform to share uncensored perspectives without fear of judgement. Compared to focus groups, surveys reach the full force for comprehensive results. They provide quantitative data on trends plus qualitative insights from open-ended comments. Regular surveys track changes over time, measure program impacts, and quickly surface urgent issues. For example, low scores on mental health support questions would indicate expanded services are needed. By centering officer voices directly, surveys move beyond assumptions to guide actions based on evidence.
Surveying Demonstrates Leadership Commitment
Beyond practical guidance, surveys convey that leadership genuinely cares about officers’ wellbeing and wants input on improving conditions. Officers receive assurance their experiences are taken seriously when asked directly versus commanders making unilateral decisions. Participation gives officers buy-in and empowerment as partners in shaping their agency. Response rates confirm whether messaging about prioritizing officer needs translates into actual engagement. Low responses imply lack of trust surveys will influence change. Well-constructed, anonymous surveys are crucial for understanding officers’ realities while building confidence in leadership support.
Crafting Effective Police Surveys
Surveys must use strategic construction to yield meaningful insights:
Keep Surveys Anonymous – Officers will only share openly if assured responses cannot be linked to their identity. Anonymity enables honest feedback without fear of workplace consequences.
Use Validated Scales – Incorporate scientifically developed scales for key constructs like stress, morale, burnout, etc. Validated tools provide accurate measurement.
Ask Specific Questions – Vague inquiries yield vague results. Ask precise questions on programs, policies, behaviors to elicit actionable data.
Include Open-Ended Items – Allow opportunities for candid comments to capture richness of officers’ perspectives and experiences.
Keep Surveys Concise – Long surveys lead to survey fatigue. Use only essential questions and keep under 15 minutes.
Sample Police Survey Questions
Here are examples of potential police survey question types:
Morale:
- How motivated are you currently feeling to perform your duties as a police officer?
(Scale of 1-5, 1 being not motivated)
Wellbeing:
- How supported do you feel by agency leadership regarding your physical and psychological wellbeing?
(Scale of 1-5, 1 being unsupported)
Discipline:
- How fairly and consistently do you feel discipline is administered within the department?
(Scale of 1-5, 1 being very unfair)
Mental Health:
- How knowledgeable are you about mental illnesses like PTSD, anxiety, and depression?
(Scale of 1-5, 1 being not knowledgeable)
- How comfortable do you feel speaking to a mental health professional about work-related stress or trauma?
(Scale of 1-5, 1 being very uncomfortable)
Community Relations:
- How valued and respected do citizens in your patrol area make you feel as an officer?
(Scale 1-5, 1 being disrespected)
Policy Input:
- How actively does agency leadership solicit your confidential input on issues impacting officers?
(Scale 1-5, 1 being inactive)
Training Needs:
- How prepared do you feel to respond to an active shooter or terrorist situation if it arose?
(Scale 1-5, 1 being unprepared)
Safety:
- How safe do you feel from ambush, assault, or injury during typical duties like traffic stops and disturbance calls?
(Scale 1-5, 1 being unsafe)
Open-Ended Item:
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- What specific recommendations do you have for improving officer wellbeing and safety within the department?
Implementing a Survey Initiative
Once constructed, surveys must be implemented strategically:
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- Explain the purpose and discuss during roll calls to promote participation.
- Administer through anonymous digital platforms or paper forms.
- Consider issuing during mental health checks to integrate into wellness initiatives.
- Share results openly and form committees to develop action plans based on data.
- Put officer feedback intoimmediate practice change to maintain momentum.
- Track trends over recurring 6 month or annual surveys.
Surveys only provide value if leadership takes tangible actions demonstrating the agency heard officers and will champion needed improvements based on their real experiences.
Surveys Empower Data-Driven Change
Police surveys deliver otherwise unreachable insights directly from personnel that quantify department strengths and weaknesses. This informs policies, trainings, resources and communication enhancing efficiency, safety, community relations, and officer wellbeing. Anonymity fosters candid feedback essential for positive change. Well-designed and utilized surveys are a leader’s most powerful tool for keeping a finger on the pulse of their agency and workforce. With officers as partners, a department can strategically progress even through the most difficult policing climates. Officers deserve to serve in agencies where their voices are valued, health is supported, and sacrifices are respected. Police surveys empower leaders to make that vision an operational reality.
Here are Top 25 Questions to ask your Police force.
- How motivated are you currently feeling to perform your duties as a police officer? (scale of 1-5, 1 being not motivated)
- How supported do you feel by agency leadership regarding your physical and psychological wellbeing? (scale of 1-5, 1 not supported)
- How fairly and consistently do you feel discipline is administered within the department? (scale of 1-5, 1 being very unfair)
- How comfortable do you feel openly discussing mental health struggles with your direct supervisor? (scale of 1-5, 1 being very uncomfortable)
- How knowledgeable are you about mental illnesses like PTSD, anxiety, and depression? (scale of 1-5, 1 being not knowledgeable)
- How comfortable do you feel speaking to a mental health professional about work-related stress or trauma? (scale of 1-5, 1 being very uncomfortable)
- To what extent do you fear negative career impacts for seeking mental health treatment? (scale of 1-5, 1 being no fear)
- How supported does the agency make you feel in prioritizing your mental health? (scale of 1-5, 1 being unsupported)
- How prepared do you feel to de-escalate confrontations verbally without using force? (scale of 1-5, 1 being unprepared)
- How confident are you in your ability to physically protect yourself on the job if needed? (scale of 1-5, 1 being unconfident)
- How comfortable are you intervening if a fellow officer seems to be struggling with mental health issues? (scale of 1-5, 1 being very uncomfortable)
- How valued and respected do citizens in your patrol area make you feel as an officer? (scale 1-5, 1 being disrespected)
- How confident are you in your agency’s commitment to accountability around misconduct? (scale 1-5, 1 being unconfident)
- How fair and transparent is the disciplinary process when complaints are made against officers in your department? (scale 1-5, 1 being unfair)
- How actively does agency leadership solicit your confidential input on issues impacting officers? (scale 1-5, 1 being inactive)
- How comfortable do you feel raising concerns or criticisms internally about department policies and leadership decisions? (scale 1-5, 1 being uncomfortable)
- How prepared do you feel to respond to an active shooter or terrorist situation if it arose? (scale 1-5, 1 being unprepared)
- How adequate is current training on use of force judgement and de-escalation techniques? (scale 1-5, 1 being inadequate)
- How safe do you feel from ambush, assault, or injury during typical duties like traffic stops and disturbance calls? (scale 1-5, 1 being unsafe)
- How confident are you in your equipment protecting you from serious harm if violently attacked? (scale 1-5, 1 being unconfident)
- How valued do you feel your expertise and insights are by agency leadership when making policy decisions? (scale 1-5, 1 being devalued)
- How consistent is leadership messaging about prioritizing officer wellness with actual department programs and resource allocation? (scale 1-5, 1 being inconsistent)
- How comfortable do you feel admitting to a supervisor if you made an error in judgement during an incident? (scale 1-5, 1 being uncomfortable)
- How confident are you that the department would support you emotionally and psychologically after a traumatic event? (scale 1-5, 1 being unconfident)
- How satisfied are you currently with your pay and benefits compared to your daily job duties and risks? (scale 1-5, 1 being dissatisfied)
