APD Listening to Community with Digital Opinion-based Surveys

ALBUQUERQUE – The Albuquerque Police Department has been utilizing SPIDR Tech and Zencity, two opinion-based surveys, as tools to listen to the community and respond to concerns across area commands. APD created a transparency page to share survey results with the public.

APD has been using SPIDR Tech since October of 2021. These surveys are delivered via text to the phone number tied to a 911 call to measure satisfaction of APD’s response to the call. On a 0-5 scale, the Quarterly Review shows Overall Officer Satisfaction is at a 4.54 and Overall Communication Satisfaction is at 3.97.

In July 2023, Albuquerque Police began working with Zencity to enhance community engagement and gauge issues in each area command. The survey measures residents’ level of satisfaction on safety and trust in police. The surveys also measure top safety concerns by area command, giving the department information that helps them decide how to allocate resources throughout the city. The surveys are delivered digitally via social media platforms and are targeted at a sample audience that reflects the city’s overall demographics.

The Zencity surveys evaluate public perception by demographics. The data shows increases among groups that APD has worked to strengthen relationships with through APD’s Ambassador Program and Community Engagement Program. Compared to the prior month, in August 2024, Hispanic/Latino residents of Albuquerque felt 10% safer and African Americans felt 12% safer. Voice, which measures the perception that the department is listening, was up by 5% with American Indian/Alaska Native residents and up 2% among white residents in Albuquerque.

Perception of Safety: Comparing July 2024 to August 2024, perception of safety was up 4%. Since the beginning of the year, this metric is up 1%.

Perception of Respect: Between July 2024 and August 2024, this metric improved by 1%, but is down 2% since the start of the year.

Perception of Fairness: Year over Year (in comparison to August 2023), the numbers remained the same, however they are down 2% from the start of 2024.

“We can’t manage what we don’t measure, and having insight into our community’s perception of safety and feeling towards our department are invaluable,” said Chief Harold Medina. “We know we still have a long way to go and that’s exactly why we are putting a focus on hearing the voices of the people we serve.”

Each quarter the Zencity surveys poll roughly 2,500 people which annually is around 10,000 responses. 

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