Englewood Survey

The following telephone survey of 304 residents in the Englewood Police District was conducted by graduate students at Northwestern University’s Medill School of Journalism.

How would you characterize the level of crime in your neighborhood?
High 101
Somewhat high 45
Medium 93
Low 42

Have you been the victim of a violent crime?
w Yes 60
w No 211

What was the nature of the crime?
w Robbery 33
w Assault 11
w Attempted homicide 5
w Other 5

What is the biggest crime problem in your neighborhood?
w Robbery 47
w Murder 42
w Assault 37
w Drugs 172
w Gang activity 104

How would you characterize the way the media portrays crime in Englewood?
w Very accurate 40
w Somewhat accurate 119
w Accurate 71
w Not at all accurate 56

Could the media improve coverage of Englewood?
w Yes 206
w No 52

Do you feel safe in Englewood?
w Yes 194
w No 80

Have you been involved in the community policing program?
w Yes 73
w No 223

Is community policing working in Englewood?
w Yes 157
w No 86

Have you had any contact with police as part of community policing?
w Yes 83
w No 179

What kind of contact have you had with police as part of community policing?
w Went to meetings 59
w Called police about a crime 36
w Other 11

Do you feel safe when you see the police in your neighborhood?
w Yes 226
w No 57

How would you rate the job the police are doing in Englewood?
w Very good 47
w Good 98
w Fair 110
w Poor 48

Do you feel the police respond in a reasonable amount of time when there is an emergency?
w Yes 179
w No 88

Do you think having more black officers assigned to Englewood would effect community-police relations?
w Yes 82
w No 201

Did you believe the initial reports that the two you boys had committed the Ryan Harris murder?
w Yes 30
w No 232

Were you aware of any other suspects at the time?
w Yes 38
w No 247

Do you feel the media portrayed the Ryan Harris story accurately and fairly?
w Yes 153
w No 96

Do you feel the police handled the case appropriately?
w Yes 94
w No 164

Do you think the police questioned enough people?
w Yes 76
w No 142

Do you think the police gave enough time to the investigation?
w Yes 85
w No 157

Do you think race played a part in the arrest of the two boys?
w Yes 89
w No 158

How long have you lived in Englewood?
w Less than a year 10
w One to two years 15
w Three to five years 32
w Six to 10 years 42
w 11 to 20 years 53
w 21 to 30 years 45
w More than 30 years 68

What is your gender?
w Male 81
w Female 184

How old are you?
w 18-29 50
w 30-49 76
w 50-64 66
w 65 or older 79

What race are you?
w African American 257
w Latino 2
w White 1
w Asian 0
w Native American 1

What is the last grade you completed in school?
w 1st-8th grade 43
w Some high school 47
w High school graduate 96
w Business, technical or vocational school after high school 11
w Some college 56
w College graduate14
w Post graduate 5

Notes: All respondents did not answer every question. Some declined or said they had no opinion. Of the 2,185 residents called, 304 agreed to be surveyed. The survey, conducted in October and November, covered every other beat in the Englewood Police District. Nineteen graduate students at Northwestern University’s Medill School of Journalism called every third household within each police beat. The survey was reviewed by Robert LeBailly, an adjunct lecturer at Medill, and directed by The Chicago Reporter.
Source: Telephone survey of the Englewood Police District.