Bend PD community survey finds more trust police, but about one-third feel less safe than a year ago

Response to Safeway shooting boosted trust; mobile crisis team will respond to some incidents, not police

BEND, Ore. (KTVZ) -- The latest community survey by the Bend Police Department, presented to city councilors Wednesday evening, found about one-third of respondents feel less safe overall than a year ago, despite a trustworthy view of Bend police and generally positive feelings about their roles in the community.

Police Chief Mike Krantz presented a summary of the results of the bi-annual public safety survey, titled the 2023 Community Attitudes Survey. 

The statistically valid, anonymous survey was conducted by Portland State University. PSU randomly selected 10,000 households for the survey. About 14 percent of those who received the survey link completed it.

The survey addressed a variety of topics, including perceptions of safety in our community, public safety concerns of Bend residents, and trust in and willingness to cooperate with Bend Police. 

This year, a slightly higher percentage (79 percent) of respondents identified the Bend Police as trustworthy, compared to 2021 (75 percent). Twice as many respondents indicated that their trust in the department had risen over the past 12 months, compared to those reporting a drop in trust. 

Most respondents said the department did a good or very good job building trust over the previous 12 months, were satisfied with any interactions they’d had with Bend Police, and more than 9 in 10 said they’d be willing to contact Bend Police if they saw a crime take place or they’d been victimized. 

Nearly a third of respondents (32 percent) said they feel less safe overall, compared to last year, and they rated Bend PD less favorably in reducing crime and traffic crashes, compared to 2021. 

One of the notable findings in the survey was that the Bend Police’s response to the Safeway active shooter incident in August 2022 helped to increase trust in the department. 

Quality of life concerns primarily related to homelessness, substance abuse, minor crimes and mental health issues, as well as a drop in the perceived safety in the city, were identified as community concerns. Drug and alcohol offenses were the issues most highly rated as “major problems.”

Krantz told councilors the reduced sense of safety among a significant portion of the respondents is of “significant concern,” and noted that it was higher among people who lived in the area for a longer period of time.

“Folks who have lived here a long time have seen the change, and they feel less safe because of it,” he said.

“Much of the sentiment, or perception of feeling unsafe really grew around the issues of homeless, addiction and mental health concerns in the community,” Krantz said, often on issues that “police typically have few tools to deal with, or shouldn’t be responding to.”

“Traffic, speeding – those are our responsibility,” he said.

Krantz and City Manager Eric King noted that the city has been working with Deschutes County Behavioral Health on the launch in coming weeks of the Mobile Crisis Assessment Team. King said fire officials also have expressed concern about a rise in being “called to things they are not equipped” to handle

King said the MCAT will go live in the next few weeks and will be closely monitored as to its success and impact on those issues. Police Communications Manager Sheila Miller said that as of May 1, "MCAT will begin dispatching to some mental health calls without an officer response."

You can find the entire survey report on the City of Bend’s website: https://www.bendoregon.gov/home/showpublisheddocument/55512/638163083101715466

Here's the department's council presentation on the community public safety survey: