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2016/07/25 - Walter's Blog: O'Fallon Police Rankings

Democracy on the Front Lines
City Administrator’s Blog
Walter Denton

When we go to work, most of us assume we will return home alive at the end of the day. This is not the case with police officers. Being a police officer has always been a hazardous business, but as we tragically witnessed recently in Ballwin, Dallas, and Baton Rouge, it is a more dangerous job than ever. Our hearts go out to the officers and families who have been hurt or killed in the line of duty keeping us safe.

There are those who contend that police officers are corrupt, unpopular, and cannot be trusted. Not so in O’Fallon. The O’Fallon Police Department has a long history of support and engagement in the community and citizen survey results confirm it.

O’Fallon has conducted five citizen surveys since 2005 to gauge the opinions of residents on a wide array of services. The 2016 survey shows widespread satisfaction in the community: 95% of residents believe O’Fallon is a good place to live and 96% believe this is a good place to raise children.

In particular, O’Fallon residents feel safe in their community and strongly support the Police Department. Here are some the ratings from the survey:

  • 94% rate the Police Department as “Good” or “Excellent.”
  • 97% feel safe in their neighborhood.
  • 96% feel safe in Downtown O’Fallon.
  • 90% have an overall feeling of safety in O’Fallon.
  • 93% said they were not a victim of a crime in the last 12 months.
  • 94% would recommend living in O’Fallon to anyone who asked.

These excellent ratings are no accident. The Police Department has continually had high ratings going back to the 2005 survey. Our officers are committed to community service, from the Citizens Police Academy to Neighborhood Watch to Ice Cream Cones with a Cop. In addition, O’Fallon Police Officers are highly trained: 84% of our officers have a Bachelor’s Degree, 25% have a Master’s Degree, and all are required to complete hours of field training each year.

O’Fallon is by no means perfect and we continue to improve services and be good stewards of taxpayer money. However, it is important to note that one of the primary reasons people live in O’Fallon is because they feel safe here. We appreciate the community’s support in these challenging times for police officers. We will continue to serve you with professionalism, dedication, and excellence.