Poll: Two-thirds of residents say they feel safe

Oct. 27--DURHAM -- About two-thirds of Durham residents asked say they feel safe or very safe, according to a poll commissioned by the Durham Convention & Visitors Bureau in cooperation with the Durham Police Department.

The poll, released last week, shows a dip from record highs in the number of residents who feel safe, but is still well above the low of 30 percent reported in an earlier poll, the report said.

The proportion of those polled who think Durham has a gang problem dropped from a margin of 7-to-1 to just slightly more than 1-to-1. Ten percent of those who say the city has a gang problem based that on personal experience.

Nearly 66 percent, or two-thirds, feel safe or very safe, up from a low of 30 percent in 2005 but below the highs of 76 percent and 79 percent in 2006 and 2007, respectively.
In the survey, which polled 400 Durham residents in August and September, 61.3 percent agreed or strongly agreed that the Durham Police Department is doing a good job of protecting and serving residents.

Shelly Green, chief operating officer for the Convention & Visitors Bureau, said she was encouraged by the findings. "Historically, Durhamites have great pride in the community," she said. "They have a strong image and they do feel safe overall."

Green said the bureau has done similar polls annually for the past 15 years.
"I think the most important thing for Durham residents to know is that sometimes, people think that Durhamites are not very proud or pleased with their community. And all the way back 15 years ago, people from Durham have always been very pleased and proud and had a great image of Durham."

Mike Shiflett, past president of the Durham InterNeighborhood Council and past co-facilitator of Partners Against Crime, lives in Northgate Park, which has had a rash of break-ins this year. But he said his experience with the Durham Police Department has been positive.

"I think one of the benefits over the last couple of years with the Durham Police Department has been the cooperation we've had," he said. "Even though we have had a number of break-ins in Northgate Park, we're not unusual. But it helps that we get responses back from the Police Department with increased patrols, having undercover cars drive by and being a bit quicker to respond when you have a community person call 911 and report suspicious activity." As for feeling safe, Shiflett prefers the word "secure."

"I feel secure," he said. "Safety is something you think about when you're being threatened. Do I feel unsafe? No. Do I feel unsecure? No. I feel pretty secure in both where I live and where I drive in Durham."

But Shiflett said it's important for people not to depend on others for their safety.
"You have to take a little bit of ownership in that," he said, citing community involvement and knowing your neighbors as examples.
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How safe do we feel?
By KEITH UPCHURCH
kupchurch@heraldsun.com; 419-6612
DURHAM -- Newcomers to Durham feel safe by a margin of 3.2-to-1, the same as those who have lived here between 11 and 20 years, according to the Durham Convention & Visitors Bureau poll on how Durham residents feel about their safety.
Other findings:
- Durham residents who have lived here three to five years feel safe by a margin of 7.8-to-1, six- to 10-year residents by a margin of 6.2-to-1 and those who have lived here over 21 years by a margin of 5.7-to-1.
- By more than 8-to-1, Durham residents have a positive image of the community.
- Durham residents remain proud of Durham by a margin of 6.2-to-1, and 85.8 percent are now proud of Durham instead of the 81.3 percent who were last year.
- By more than 5-to-1, Durham residents are pleased with the community as a place to live, with 74.1 percent being proud or very proud, 12.3 percent undecided and 13.8 percent not proud.
- Whites are most likely to believe that Durham does not have a gang problem. But nearly 89 percent of blacks believe the city has a gang problem.
- The percentage of those who think the Durham Police Department is doing a good or very good job are: blacks, 63.4 percent; whites, 61.4; Hispanics, 57.7 percent; and Asians, 55 percent.
The poll was conducted by NanoPhrades, based in the Wake County town of Holly Springs.