"Assessments of the Rhode Island State Police"by Darrell West, Taubman Center for Public Policy, Brown University
May, 2001
Table of Contents
Executive Summary
Methodology
Overall Assessments
Breakdowns by Sex
Breakdowns by Race
Breakdowns by Age
Breakdowns by State Residence
Breakdowns by Barracks
Breakdowns by Type of Contact
Improving Highway SafetyAppendix
I. Survey Questions and Responses
II. Open-Ended Comments on Improving Safety
This report examines public attitudes towards the Rhode Island State Police. Using telephone interviews conducted May 5-9, 2001 with 372 people who in calendar year 2000 received a traffic citation, filed an accident report, or contacted the State Police to report an incident or offense, we looked at a variety of performance areas: courtesy, demeanor, response time, knowledge, clarity, sense of fairness, and overall service rating. We also asked those who came in contact with the State Police for suggestions about how to improve highway safety. The report was commissioned by the State Police.
Among the highlights of the survey are the following:
1) 83 percent gave the State Police an excellent or good rating in terms of the overall service that was received,
2) 88 percent believed the officer(s) they dealt with was courteous, while 92 percent felt the officer(s) had a professional demeanor,
3) 87 percent thought the State Police was knowledgeable and 86 percent indicated they received clear explanations about what was happening,
4) 86 percent felt they were treated fairly by the State Police,
5) 87 percent believed the State Police responded to accidents and offenses in a satisfactory amount of time,
6) there were few differences in attitudes based on sex, race, or state residence,
7) there were some age differences with younger people giving the State Police lower marks for overall service, fairness, and courtesy than was the case with older people,
8) there is some difference in overall service ranking based on barracks. The highest rated barracks was Portsmouth (88 percent), followed by Hope Valley (86 percent), Headquarters and Wickford (tied at 85 percent), Chepachet (79 percent), and Lincoln Woods (78 percent).
9) individuals receiving traffic citations were the least likely to think they had been treated fairly (77 percent) relative to those involved with accident reports (88 percent) and incident reports (85 percent).
10) the most common suggestions for improving highway safety were greater visibility, putting more patrol officers on the road, watching for speeders, controlling road rage by drivers, and increasing the number of officers.
This study was based on 372 telephone interviews conducted with people who received a traffic citation, filed an accident report, or contacted the State Police to report an incident or offense. Respondents were randomly selected by Taubman Center personnel from the universe of people who dealt with the State Police during calendar year 2000.
Interviews were undertaken by trained and supervised callers at the Taubman Center for Public Policy of Brown University between May 5-9, 2001. Several callbacks were made to people who were not at home at the time of the initial phone call in order to insure that everyone in the sample had a chance to answer the questions.
The margin of error in this survey is around plus or minus 5 percentage points. This means that a percentage of 88 percent could range as low as 83 or as high as 93 percent.
We looked at a variety of performance areas: courtesy, demeanor, response time, knowledge, clarity, sense of fairness, and overall service rating, and asked for suggestions about how to improve highway safety (see Appendix I for list of survey questions and responses).
The characteristics of those responding to this survey is shown below in Table 1:
Table 1 Demographic Description of Survey Respondents Sex -male 58% -female 38 Age -18-24 16 -25-34 21 -35-44 27 -45-54 18 -55-64 8 -65+ 7 Race -white 82 -african-american 4 -hispanic 4 -asian-american 2 -native american 2 -other 3 State Residence -inside Rhode Island 84 -outside Rhode Island 16 We looked at a variety of performance measures in regard to the State Police. As shown in Table 2, the State Police receives high marks across every performance area measured. The highest evaluations came in regard to professional demeanor, where 92 percent felt the officer(s) they dealt with was very professional or professional. Only five percent believed the officer was unprofessional and three percent offered no opinion.
Eighty-eight percent said they officer they dealt with was courteous, while 9 percent said the officer was not courteous, and three percent had no opinion. Eighty-seven percent felt that the officer was knowledgeable (41 percent said very knowledgeable and 46 percent said knowledgeable) while 5 percent said the officer was not knowledgeable and 8 percent gave no opinion.
Of those who filed an accident or incident report, 87 percent were satisfied with the amount of time it took the officer to respond, and 9 percent were not satisfied. Eighty-six percent believed the officer was clear in explaining the situation, 86 percent felt they were treated fairly, and 83 percent gave the State Police an excellent or good rating overall. Nine percent claimed the overall service was only fair, six percent felt it was poor, and 2 percent did not know or gave no answer.
Table 2 Assessments of the Rhode Island State Police Professional Demeanor 92% Courtesy 88 Knowledge 87 Satisfactory Response Time on Accidents and Incidents 87 Clarity 86 Fairness 86 Overall Service Rating 83 There were no significant gender differences in assessments of the State Police. Table 3 breaks down the views of males and females in assessments of the State Police. For example, in overall service rating, 84 percent of men and women give officers an excellent or good rating. The category where there was the largest difference based on gender was clarity. Ninety percent of women compared to 84 percent of men indicated officers gave them clear explanations of what was happening.
Table 3 State Police Assessments by Sex Male Female Professional Demeanor 92% 93% Courtesy 89 89 Knowledge 88 92 Response Time 88 86 Clarity 84 90 Fairness 87 85 Overall Service Rating 84 84
There were no significant racial differences in assessments of the State Police. Table 4 breaks down the views of whites and minorities in assessments of the State Police. For example, in overall service rating, 85 percent of whites give officers an excellent or good rating, compared to 79 percent of minorities. There was some difference in intensity of sentiment on overall service ratings. Whites were more likely to give excellent (50 percent) than good (35 percent) ratings, while minorities were more likely to give good (49 percent) than excellent (30 percent) assessments. Eight percent of whites and 16 percent of minorities rated the State Police as only fair, and 6 percent of whites and 5 percent of minorities rated the State Police as poor.
Table 4 State Police Assessments by Race Whites Minorities Professional Demeanor 92% 91% Courtesy 89 88 Knowledge 88 86 Response Time 87 91 Clarity 88 88 Fairness 87 84 Overall Service Rating 85 79 Overall, older people give the State Police higher marks than younger people (see Table 5). While 96 percent of those 65 years and older rate officers excellent or good, only 67 percent of those 18 to 24 years old do. Younger respondents are less likely to say their treatment was fair (79 percent) than senior citizens (96 percent). Those aged 18 to 24 are less likely to say officers were courteous (79 percent) compared to those 65 years and older (96 percent).
Table 5 State Police Assessments by Age 18-24 25-34 35-44 45-54 55-64 65+ Demeanor 86% 92% 91% 97% 91% 96% Courtesy 79 94 89 88 87 96 Knowledge 81 91 89 90 90 85 Response Time 85 91 85 84 88 92 Clarity 79 92 83 88 90 88 Fairness 79 95 84 87 84 96 Overall Rating Rating
67 88 87 84 84 96 There were few significant differences in assessments of the State Police based on whether the person lived inside or outside of Rhode Island. Table 6 breaks down the overall service rating by state residence. Eighty-three percent of those living in Rhode Island give officers an excellent or good rating, compared to 85 percent of those living outside the state. Non-Rhode Island residents, however, were more satisfied with response time. Ninety-six percent of those indicated they were satisfied with the amount of time it took the State Police to respond, compared to 86 percent of those living within the state.
Table 6 State Police Assessments by Residence Rhode Island Outside Rhode Island Professional Demeanor 92% 98% Courtesy 88 95 Knowledge 87 95 Response Time 86 96 Clarity 86 88 Fairness 86 85 Overall Service Rating 83 85 There is some difference in overall service ranking based on barracks. As shown in Table 7, the most highly rated barracks was Portsmouth (88 percent), followed by Hope Valley (86 percent), Headquarters and Wickford (tied at 85 percent), Chepachet (79 percent), and Lincoln Woods (78 percent).
In terms of fairness, the barracks ranking included: Portsmouth and Wickford (tied at 92 percent), Lincoln Woods (88 percent), Headquarters (84 percent), Chepachet (83 percent), and Hope Valley (80 percent).
Table 7 State Police Assessments by Barracks Chepachet4 Hope Valley Lincoln Woods Portsmouth Wickford Headquarters Demeanor 92% 91% 88% 95% 93% 94% Courtesy 85 88 87 90 89 97 Knowledge 86 91 87 82 91 91 Response Time 83 87 87 83 91 100 Clarity 86 87 82 88 86 91 Fairness 83 80 88 92 92 84 Overall Rating Rating
79 86 78 88 85 85 There are some differences in State Police assessments based on whether the contact was a traffic citation, accident report, or incident report (see Table 8). Overall service ratings were higher for accident and incident reports (84 percent each) compared to traffic citations (77 percent). And individuals receiving traffic citations were the least likely to think they had been treated fairly (77 percent) relative to those involved with accident reports (88 percent) and incident reports (85 percent).
Table 8 State Police Assessments by Type of Contact Traffic Citation Accident Report Incident Report Demeanor 94% 92% 91% Courtesy 94 86 91 Knowledge 85 86 92 Response Time NA 88 83 Clarity 92 85 87 Fairness 79 88 85 Overall Rating Rating
77 84 84
In order to give respondents a chance to make suggestions, we asked them what the State Police could do to improve highway safety. Appendix II lists all of their suggestions. The most common suggestions that were made included: greater visibility, putting more patrol officers on the road, watching for speeders, controlling road rage by drivers, and increasing number of officers. A number of people did not answer the question or felt the State Police already was doing a lot of improve safety.
Appendix I. Survey Questions and Responses
Hello, I'm calling from the Center for Public Policy at Brown University. Can I speak to _____? We are conducting a study of people's experience with the Rhode Island State Police, and we'd really appreciate your help. (if individual not home, terminate interview politely and ask when you can call back).
Do not ask, but code gender of respondent: 58% male, 38% female, 4% don't know
In your dealings with the Rhode Island State Police this past year, were you treated courteously by the officer(s) you dealt with? 88% yes, 9% no, 3% don't know or no answer
Was the trooper's demeanor at the time 49% very professional, 43% professional, 5% unprofessional, 3% don't know or no answer
If you called to file an offense report or were involved in an accident, were you satisfied with the amount of time it took to respond? 87% yes, 9% no, 4% don't know or no answer
Would you say the trooper you dealt with was: 41% very knowledgeable, 46% knowledgeable, 5% not very knowledgeable, 8% don't know or no answer
Did you receive a clear explanation about what was happening? 86% yes, 11% no, 3% don't know or no answer
Did you feel you were treated fairly? 86% yes, 11% no, 3% don't know or no answer
How would you rate the overall service you received? 47% excellent, 36% good, 9% only fair, 6% poor, 2% don't know or no answer
What can the Rhode Island State Police do to improve the safety on our highways? (open-ended responses)
Which of the following age group are you in? 16% 18-24, 21% 25-34, 27% 35-44, 18% 45-54, 8% 55-64, 7% 65 or older, 3% no answer
Are you: 82% white, 4% African-American, 4% Hispanic, 2% Asian-American, 2% Native American, 3% other, 3% don't know or no answer
Do not ask, but code from top of call sheet whether person: 13% received traffic citation, 51% filed accident report, 34% filed offense report, 2% don't know
Do not ask, but code from top of call sheet whether state police barracks was: 19% SPC State Police Chepachet, 21% SPHV State Police Hope Valley, 15% SPLW State Police Lincoln Woods, 16% SPP State Police Portsmouth, 19% SPW State Police Wickford, 9% SPHQ State Police Headquarters, 1% don't know
Appendix II. Suggestions for Improving Highway Safety No suggestions Don't know Don't know No suggestion No suggestions Don't rear-end us civilians. Watch where you're driving... y No suggestions Increase officers on patrol No suggestions No suggestions at this time. They should react more promptly to hazardous situations on o No suggestions. No suggestions. Stop people when they see them on the sides of highways. More police. Increase patrol. They're is nothing that can be said. They are already doing They already do a pretty good job. They're already doing a good job. It's the people who are creating the problem, they should re Make people slow down. They are already doing a good job. Random car stops. Check for driver's license more oten. Be more efficient. At the time of an accident, get both sides of the story and Keep a close eye on people who are under the influence of al No suggestions. Improve the time they take to get to the accident point. Well on one hand you have people who drive too slow... they Catch the guys that go really fast - especially those people Fix pot-holes - I had a flat tire due to a pot hole, which l No answer They're already doing a good job with patrolling the highway Control erratic driving by police and by others. Road construction at high traffic hours without warning - ma Be around more to catch people who run red lights dangerousl Don't pull commuters over for speeding during rush hour. Be more visible. A lot of stuff slides by... so many violations or dangerous Quit racial profiling. On any given day, at the Connecticut They're doing a fine job already... I have no suggestions Get rid of the cars --- too much traffic Have more troopers posted where I-95 merges with I-4 No comment Does not think the highways are that bad Check that are kids and other passengers are wearing seatbel Put more police cars out on the road Try harder to prevent road rage don't know Put more troopers on the road patrol more and be seen more dont know the speed limit changes drastically they are doing a good job, cant think of anything they could dont know no idea not up to them, but could improve maintainance on I-95 nothing maintenance of the highway is important, but doesnt see how not speeding themselves. it would improve their visibility a dont know, feels that the highways are as safe as they can b nab drunk drivers, especially in Newport dont know enforce drunk driving laws enforce speed limit and laws dont know dont know nothing they do a good job patrol more give more tickets for cell phones and illegal lane changes dont know the state police can stop speeding themselves more patrolling nothing dont know Plow it in the winter. This would take me a couple weeks to brainstorm ... for now, If pulling someone over, please go completely off the road.. Watch out for and clear debris on highways and on-ramps. The Treat people more equally... people I've known who were stop No suggestions Mark their cars or put more marked cars on the road... becau More policemen - they're understaffed. I'm a retired policem The State Police should be honest... but I don't know how or none depends on the drivers none no suggestions there could stand to be more of them none stricter laws about DWI (including drugs), truck driver laws put more troopers on highways. scare people into driving slo shouldn't cut people off when they are trying to stop speede none none stop harrassing regular guys - no quotas. ROAD CONDITIONS SHOULD BE IMPROVED don't know they do fine i don't know i don't know speed traps less pseeding tickets watch out for speeding get the drunk people off the road be more careful and extensive in monitoring for speeding be more polite stay off the highway no idea. Stop the speeders. Straigten out Servers (spelling?) Avenue. They are fine. Highways are pretty safe as it is. They should stop Racial P not try to intimdate and humiliate. Nothing. Slow traffic down. Less traffic violations. No answer. Salt the roads more. Give tickets to people who drive too slow. More routine patr Keep the road debris free. He feels that speeding is a problem. No answer. No Answer. Be out more during peak hours No Answer. No Answer No Answer They are doing great, everything within their power they are enforce speed limit and laws dont know dont know nothing they do a good job patrol more give more tickets for cell phones and illegal lane changes dont know the state police can stop speeding themselves more patrolling nothing dont know more traffic signals particularly route 1 increase presence when they stop people of color they should treat them like h don't park on the side of the road anymore because they caus don't know control speeding stay off the highways during rush hour enforce the set laws better enforce the speed limit more put more troopers on the highways monitor speeding better no comment road rage nothing Don't treat people rudely when they ask for help and be on t They could be hiding out more along the highways. Everyone k stop drunk driving, stop those who speed, drive without regi Nothing I can think of at the moment No complaints at all Younger drivers - keep an eye on them... not just on highway No idea Be consistent with stopping people - Some people don't get s Control road rage Increase availability in areas where there are no State Poli Be aware of aggresive drivers. High speeds are okay as long I'm satisfied with the quality of the State Police in the Wa No clue don't know just bethere when needed be morevisible don't have toom any interactions with them and cannot say less patrools and interaction don't know more exposure of them put more troopers dont know be more visible, but they're doing just fine now too more patrools cars be more visible they're doing just fine put more troopers on the roads be more visible i don't know no opinion doesn't know does not agree with the new policies and laws pertaining to get more of those undercover people doesn't like the way they lay and wait to trap people, have too much speeding, crack down on it doesn't know, could be a lot more courteous to all people post more patrol cars crack down on aggresive driving has no idea provide better markers for barriers doesn't know doesn't know enforcing the speeding and the seat belt laws no answer go after agressive drivers and tailgaters. get rid of the senior citizens treat people who are younger the same as they treat older pe raise the speed limit and not give tickets they do a very good job no opinion no immediate answer don't know Give tickets to people who don't use signals. No comments. No suggestions. No comments. I'm already satisfied with what they do. They're already doing a good job. I'm not sure. More police enforcement. That's a tough one. I can't say. More undercover cars on the highway. Stay off them. make the roads better. Watch out for speeders and tailgaters. Feel the state police do a great job, in general, keep up wi They could stop driving on them! No Answer No answer road conditions No answer Woman is afraid of uniforms after growing up in India. She t The highway are very safe as they are. State Police do a gre no response more training no response no response be on rte 10 and 95 between 6 and 7 am to enforce the speed don't pick up jackets in the middle of the road caused an ac watch people talking on cell phones, especially young driver no response don't know no answer no answer get lunatics off highways they need more policemen on the road because people are so i add a lane to 146 get old people and recent people from country off the roads should be nicer to people so people won't get nervous around should be more checks on friday and saturday around midnight doing good job think they're doing a good job monitor speed at night more radar stops, but are satisfied no ideas doing their job teach the people in the cars that motorcylces can't stop for make their presence more known thinks it's OK now be more visable - slow people down need more patrols,need to have more cars on the highways to Do something about the DOT and keeping the roads clear. Many don't know. More speed traps, people are going to fast. nothing not really using the highways. The patrols should be increased in order to be a deterant. DON'T KNOW ok less speed traps nothing nothing Nothing Regardless of seriousness of accident, all info should be ta Fix the Roads! Nothing really No idea Control road rage - people are so impatient and unforgiv ing Set up a commission to research what safety improvements can Reduce the towing fee. Nothing I can think of... I think they're already handling t Control drunk driving Be more visible No answer Don't know When pulling someone over, don't do it in the middle of the No idea More presence - he doesn't enough of them around eliminate straightening out (?) i don't know, nothing more patrools not to pull people over that often for no violations speeding limitations speeding i don't know more patrools i don't know road raging limitations nothing can't do anything can't do anything cell phones limitations road rage attention speeding limitations make sure people use seatbelts they are doing enough they should listen to both sides of the automobile accident better manage out of state drivers and trailer trucks that b they should crack down on people not signaling, minor infrac take all the men off the roads not sure road construction is a problem, better notification to drive don't know not quite sure can't think of anything the highways are safe already nothing more than what they're doing. they're doing an excel make sure people wear seat belts i don't know nothing, they're doing a pretty good job. likes the idea of stop road construction in the middle of the day I don't know Doing a good job need more state police to monitor what is going on Don't know Leave it as it is They do an excellent job, drivers need to be improved Increase monitoring of speeding Everything is fine Take the cell phones away from drivers crack down on truck drivers who are careless watching out for speed limit violators doing what they need to do doing all they can do don't know CHANGE on/of ramps because they cause accidents stop more people who are speeding to prevent accidents make sure roads are cleared after accidents to prevent other don't know Continue to highways to make sure poeple drive safely have been doing well as far as she knows Better communication with driver about situation (e.g why be don't know Nothing to say. More enforcement to control speed control. There should be speed control. If the speed limit is 55 mile Nothing to say. Nothing to say. No comments. Not sure. I'm not sure. I'm not a resident of Rhode Island. As far as I can say is that you can give out more tickets. That's a togh question. Only had one encounter with an offic I don't now. I didn't have that much experience, besides one I don't know. nothing improve roads no comment dont know dont know road quality