SHAKER HEIGHTS, Ohio — While Shaker Heights residents say the city is mostly safe, a 70-page-long survey reveals there’s still more work to be done.
A third-party company called Strategy Matters conducted a months-long study amongst Shaker Heights residents, seeking areas the city could improve upon.
More than 960 residents responded.
Traffic safety, including pedestrians and bikes, was often a top concern. Theft and guns were also listed.
The survey reveals most adults feel safe, but many youth do not.
“What that tells me is there's some relationship building that can be done,” said Shaker Heights Chief Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion Officer Colleen Jackson.
High school students who participated in the survey noted they are concerned about violence in and around their school. They expressed feelings of disrespect and mistrust by police and other adults due to being young and/or black.
One of many questions addressed in the survey results: How has safety perceived to have improved, worsened, or stayed the same according to residents over the last 12 months?
Answers were separated between people of color and white respondents.
Fifty-one percent of people of color said crime overall has stayed the same. Seventy-five percent of white respondents agree.
Twenty-one percent of people of color said crime has gotten worse in the last year, whereas only 11% of white respondents answered similarly.
Crime at night received the highest percentage, revealing crime has gotten worse. Fourteen percent of white respondents answered yes, and 25% of people of color respondents agreed.
“People of color, regardless of neighborhood, are more likely to respond that the city is less safe than it was a year ago,” the survey stated. “The problem is bigger than policing.”
To discuss the survey results further, the City of Shaker Heights held a town hall-style meeting in conjunction with Strategy Matters.
“They want to have more community engagement and community outreach, and they want to have more traffic enforcement. You don't find that in a lot of communities. A lot of communities, they want less law enforcement. In this community, they want more,” Shaker Heights Chief of Police Wayne Hudson said.
Chief Hudson explained how Strategy Matters has conducted 200+ resident surveys across the country and Shaker Heights is one of two areas to request more policing. He said the other is the Navajo Nation.
He told me one major takeaway of his from this survey is the high number of people who don’t feel safe walking around the city at night. The survey doesn’t explain why, and those are answers his department is looking for.
“We have nine neighborhoods in Shaker. We want to make sure we meet with each one of those neighborhoods, and hopefully get them a neighborhood association started. Then, we can have different types of community service, community outreach and community directed policing individualized for each neighborhood because community policing doesn't fit for every neighborhood,” Chief Hudson added.
Additionally, Jackson said a community advisory group devised of residents and business owners has been created. That group is tasked with unpacking the survey and helping city officials create a plan of action.
“We're really going to take our lead from there,” she noted.
The City of Shaker Heights also plans to run a community campaign to educate residents on traffic laws.
“That is something that impacts so many people: walkers, bikers, people who have [kids], [and] people who are seniors. I think that's something that can be impactful to the community at large,” Jackson said.
Another collaborative approach the city plans to take is partnering with the local school district to ensure students are feeling safe.
“One person feeling discomfort or that they are a target is a problem and it's worth investigating,” Jackson stated. “I want the young people to have a positive interaction with officers they meet. The rest is everybody else's problem. You have to change what you think about [young black men]. It's not their fault how you perceive them if they've done nothing. I'm acknowledging the fact that we have been taught to fear young black men. There are people in communities who feel like stakeholders and there are people who feel and are treated like suspects. If you are always a suspect and you're never treated as a stakeholder, you start to respond that way. I want everyone to be treated like they have value.”
Jackson said community leaders will meet again in two weeks. From there, ideas will turn into action.
Chief Hudson said his department is always looking to connect with the community and evaluate how they can improve. He suggests residents keep track of the police department’s social media for upcoming community engagement events.
