Full Text
Town of Monument Police Services Ballot Measure Survey May 11th – 18th, 2021 ---PAGE BREAK--- Survey Objectives • The objective of this survey was to determine voter support and opposition for a potential ballot measure to generate a funding source for the Monument Police Department. • The survey also tested: • Favorability and approval of the Police Department. • Opinion on how the Police Department spends taxpayer money. • Messages/Information of why the Police Department needs additional funding. Town of Monument Police Funding Ballot Measure Survey, 563n, 3.97% MoE, May 2021 2 ---PAGE BREAK--- Methodology • Magellan Strategies are pleased to present the results of a live telephone and online survey of 563 registered voters in Monument, Colorado. Survey data collection utilized MMS Text messaging and the Town’s email list. • The interviews were conducted from May 11th to 18th, 2021. • The overall survey responses have a margin of error of 3.97% at the 95% confidence interval. Population subgroups will have a higher margin of error than the overall sample. • The survey results were weighted to be representative of the demographics of expected turnout for an odd year general election in the town of Monument. 3 Town of Monument Police Funding Ballot Measure Survey, 563n, 3.97% MoE, May 2021 ---PAGE BREAK--- 4 Survey Demographics 50% 48% 2% Female Male Identify Differently 18-34 35-44 45-54 55-64 65+ 12% 19% 24% 21% 24% 78% 22% Married Single 50% 35% 14% 1% Republican Unaffiliated Democrat Other Town of Monument Police Funding Ballot Measure Survey, 563n, 3.97% MoE, May 2021 ---PAGE BREAK--- Town of Monument Colorado 2021 Community Survey, 846n 3.2% MoE, April 2021 5 ---PAGE BREAK--- Monument Police Department Favorability and Job Approval Rating 6 Town of Monument Police Funding Ballot Measure Survey, 563n, 3.97% MoE, May 2021 ---PAGE BREAK--- Do you have a favorable or unfavorable opinion of the Monument Police Department? 7 84% 9% 7% Total Favorable Total Unfavorable No Opinion 65% 78% 80% 82% 82% 83% 85% 88% 90% 93% 24% 14% 10% 8% 11% 9% 8% 8% 3% 3% 11% 8% 10% 10% 7% 8% 7% 4% 7% 4% Democrat 18-44 Unaffiliated Women Town Only Triview 45-64 Men 65+ Republican Total Favorable Total Unfavorable No Opinion Very Favorable 62% Somewhat Favorable 22% Very Unfavorable 2% Somewhat Unfavorable 7% Responses By Voter Subgroup – Ranked By Total Favorable Town of Monument Police Funding Ballot Measure Survey, 563n, 3.97% MoE, May 2021 ---PAGE BREAK--- Do you approve or disapprove of the job the Monument Police Department is doing? 8 86% 7% 7% Total Approve Total Disapprove No Opinion Strongly Approve 58% Somewhat Approve 28% Strongly Disapprove 2% Somewhat Disapprove 5% 71% 81% 82% 83% 84% 86% 88% 89% 90% 93% 16% 10% 8% 7% 8% 7% 7% 3% 6% 4% 13% 9% 10% 9% 9% 7% 5% 8% 4% 3% Democrat 18-44 Unaffiliated Women Town Only Triview 45-64 65+ Men Republican Total Approve Total Disapprove No Opinion Responses By Voter Subgroup – Ranked By Total Approve Town of Monument Police Funding Ballot Measure Survey, 563n, 3.97% MoE, May 2021 ---PAGE BREAK--- Opinion on Monument Police Department Spending Taxpayer Money Wisely 9 Town of Monument Police Funding Ballot Measure Survey, 563n, 3.97% MoE, May 2021 ---PAGE BREAK--- Do you agree or disagree with the following statement? “The Monument Police Department is fiscally responsible and spends taxpayer money wisely.” 10 56% 8% 36% Total Agree Total Disagree No Opinion Strongly Agree 32% Somewhat Agree 24% Strongly Disagree 3% Somewhat Disagree 5% 45% 49% 54% 54% 55% 55% 56% 59% 60% 67% 8% 19% 7% 8% 11% 7% 9% 8% 5% 4% 47% 32% 39% 38% 34% 38% 36% 33% 35% 29% Unaffiliated Democrat Women Town Only 18-44 45-64 Triview Men 65+ Republican Total Agree Total Disagree No Opinion Responses By Voter Subgroup – Ranked By Total Agree Town of Monument Police Funding Ballot Measure Survey, 563n, 3.97% MoE, May 2021 ---PAGE BREAK--- Opinion of Generic Monument Police Funding Ballot Measure 11 Town of Monument Police Funding Ballot Measure Survey, 563n, 3.97% MoE, May 2021 ---PAGE BREAK--- Generally speaking, would you support or oppose a local sales tax increase to generate new funding for Monument Police Department services and programs? 12 60% 27% 13% Total Yes, Support Total No, Oppose No Opinion Yes, Strongly Support 31% Yes, Somewhat Support 29% No, Strongly Oppose 14% No, Somewhat Oppose 13% 46% 56% 56% 56% 60% 60% 60% 65% 66% 67% 70% 71% 34% 31% 30% 29% 29% 34% 27% 22% 20% 19% 26% 19% 19% 13% 14% 15% 11% 6% 13% 13% 14% 14% 4% 10% Unaffiliated Men 18-44 Town Only 45-64 Democrat Triview Women 65+ Lake of the Rockies* Village Center* Republican Total Yes, Support Total No, Oppose No Opinion Responses By Voter Subgroup – Ranked By Total Yes, Support *Due to the size of Lake of the Rockies and Village Center Metro Districts, the Margin of Error is +/-23.74% and +/-13.68% respectively. Town of Monument Police Funding Ballot Measure Survey, 563n, 3.97% MoE, May 2021 ---PAGE BREAK--- Opinion of 0.5% Sales Tax Increase to Fund Monument Police Department 13 Town of Monument Police Funding Ballot Measure Survey, 563n, 3.97% MoE, May 2021 ---PAGE BREAK--- Monument Police Department Uninformed Funding Ballot Measure Test “One ballot measure being considered by the Town Trustees to generate a funding source for Police Department services and programs is an increase in the town sales tax by 0.5%. This increase would raise the sales tax from 3.0% to 3.5% and is estimated to raise $1.4 million annually. A 0.5% increase would cost consumers 50 cents on a $100 purchase of taxable items. Food and grocery purchases would not be subject to this tax increase. Knowing this information, if an election were being held today, would you vote yes and approve a 0.5% sales tax increase to generate new funding for Police Department services and programs or would you vote no and reject it?” 14 Town of Monument Police Funding Ballot Measure Survey, 563n, 3.97% MoE, May 2021 ---PAGE BREAK--- Monument Police Department Uninformed Funding Ballot Measure Test 15 64% 26% 10% Total Yes, Approve Total No, Reject Undecided Definitely Yes, Approve 33% Probably Yes, Approve 31% Definitely No, Reject 13% Probably No, Reject 13% 51% 59% 61% 62% 62% 62% 63% 68% 72% 76% 76% 78% 35% 34% 29% 29% 28% 30% 27% 22% 16% 17% 14% 15% 14% 7% 10% 9% 10% 8% 10% 10% 12% 7% 10% 7% Unaffiliated Men Town Only Men 18-44 45-64 Triview Women 65+ Republican Lake of the Rockies* Village Center* Total Yes, Support Total No, Oppose No Opinion Responses By Voter Subgroup – Ranked By Total Yes, Approve *Due to the size of Lake of the Rockies and Village Center Metro Districts, the Margin of Error is +/-23.74% and +/-13.68% respectively. Town of Monument Police Funding Ballot Measure Survey, 563n, 3.97% MoE, May 2021 ---PAGE BREAK--- Monument Police Funding Ballot Measure – Verbatims “Please describe the reasons why you would vote yes and approve a 0.5% sales tax increase to fund Police Department services and programs.” 16 Themes Police are Important to Community Need for Safe Community Back the Blue, Support for Police Understanding of They Have Been Underfunded for a Long Time With the Growth, We Need More Police Verbatim Responses Among Yes Voters “Because I appreciate what the police do to keep my community safe.” -Female, 65+, Republican “Our police in Monument have been underfunded for a long time. Its time we help them out.” -Female, 35-44, Republican “Properly funding our police and equipping them with needed materials is essential for keeping our neighborhood safe.” -Male, 45-54, Republican “Safety is important. We back the blue 100%.” -Female, 45-54, Unaffiliated “The Police Department is severely underfunded. They need more cars, more staff and more resources to cover the growing town.” -Male, 45-54, Unaffiliated “We need new funding sources because of the area growth.” -Female, 35-44, Democrat “Our town is growing and therefore we need the appropriate staffing and funding of our Police Department.” -Female, 45-54, Other Town of Monument Police Funding Ballot Measure Survey, 563n, 3.97% MoE, May 2021 ---PAGE BREAK--- Monument Police Funding Ballot Measure – Verbatims “Please describe the reasons why you would vote no and reject a 0.5% sales tax increase to fund Police Department services and programs.” 17 Themes Will Never Pass a Tax Increase Defund the Police Reallocate the Budget, Work Within Means Other Needs than Police Taxes are Too High Already Verbatim Responses Among No Voters “Defund the police, don't find more ways to fund them.” -Female, 18-34, Democrat “I am a senior. We are overtaxed as it is.” -Male, 65+, Democrat “The money should be towards the roads.” -Male, 35-44, Republican “Money needs to be redistributed from programs that I believe should not be funded.” -Female, 55-64, Republican “No need for increasing police budgets.” -Identify Differently, 35-44, Unaffiliated “Sales taxes are already too high. The police don't need any more funding.” -Male, 18-34, Democrat “We need to investigate how the current funding is being used and if there are other programs that can do some of the work that the PD is being asked to handle.” -Male, 45-54, Democrat Town of Monument Police Funding Ballot Measure Survey, 563n, 3.97% MoE, May 2021 ---PAGE BREAK--- Information Regarding Monument Police Department Needs 18 Town of Monument Police Funding Ballot Measure Survey, 563n, 3.97% MoE, May 2021 ---PAGE BREAK--- 19 Monument Police Department Funding Ballot Measure Information • 4 to 5 Officers on Patrol At All Times - Before hiring Police Chief Hemingway in February of 2020, at times only one officer was on patrol duty for a 12-hour shift. The Chief determined this was unacceptable and created real risks and ensuring the public’s safety. With just a single patrol officer on duty, the Police Department struggled to handle more than one call at a time, especially if an officer needed backup. Despite budget limitations, the Chief increased patrol duty to two officers per 12-hour shift from just one. If the ballot measure is approved, the Police Department will double the number of patrols so that 4 to 5 officers will be on patrol duty at all times, 24 hours a day. • Reducing Response Times - Currently, emergency response times can take 14 to 17 minutes when an officer has to go from one end of town to the other. This situation is unacceptable, especially if a resident needs an immediate response. If the ballot measure is approved, the Police Department will hire and train ten new police officers to address this problem. Having more patrol officers on duty will significantly reduce response times and make Monument safer. Town of Monument Police Funding Ballot Measure Survey, 563n, 3.97% MoE, May 2021 ---PAGE BREAK--- 20 Monument Police Department Funding Ballot Measure Information • Update Arrest Report Software and Computers - Currently, the Police Department’s arrest report software and computer infrastructure are outdated and not compatible with regional El Paso County Law Enforcement agencies. This prevents the Police Department from sharing and receiving analytic and criminal background data related to regional crime information. This limits the Police Department’s ability to identify individuals who may have an outstanding warrant for their arrest or a criminal background. If the ballot measure is approved, funds would be used to update the department’s arrest report software and computers, allowing officers to see and share analytic and criminal information with other regional law enforcement agencies. • 12 Vehicles in Fleet, Overdue for Replacement/Maintenance - Currently, the Police Department has 12 vehicles in its fleet, including 7 marked patrol cars and 5 that are unmarked. A patrol car, which is in use 24 hours a day, is usually replaced every four years. At this time, 6 of the 12 vehicles are overdue for replacement, and 2 have been removed entirely from patrol duty. The maintenance costs to keep overdue patrol cars in the fleet have increased significantly. This has forced the Chief to reallocate Police Department funds towards patrol car maintenance instead of funding officer training and other public safety needs. Town of Monument Police Funding Ballot Measure Survey, 563n, 3.97% MoE, May 2021 ---PAGE BREAK--- 21 Monument Police Department Funding Ballot Measure Information • 5th Squad Patrol Unit - If the ballot measure is approved, funding will pay for a 5th squad patrol unit of Special Enforcement Officers. This unit would focus on combating vehicle break-ins, residential burglaries, drug dealing, and human trafficking. • Only One Detective, Second Female Detective to be Hired - Currently, Monument’s crime investigations are limited to just one detective. This limits the Police Department's ability to address criminal investigations in a timely and thorough manner. If the ballot measure is approved, a second female detective would likely be hired to handle sensitive issues like sexual assault and assist with criminal case follow-up and larger investigations. A second detective will also allow criminal investigation work to occur rather than doing patrol work during patrol officer shortages. Town of Monument Police Funding Ballot Measure Survey, 563n, 3.97% MoE, May 2021 ---PAGE BREAK--- 22 Monument Police Department Funding Ballot Measure Informaiton • Update, Certify, and Maintain Officer Public Safety Equipment - Currently, the Police Department does not have the funding to keep and maintain officer and public safety equipment certified and up to date. This includes outdated TASERS, rifle-rated shields, and bulletproof vests. The Police Department is also burdened with a 2019 unfunded mandate from the state to purchase and equip officers with body cameras. If approved, the ballot measure would pay for these police equipment needs. • Hire Professional Police Administrative Staff - The Police Department currently does not have any full-time professional police administrative staff. These positions include personnel to manage internal affairs investigations, police training, compliance programs, and human resource needs (healthcare, life insurance, retirement, vacation, and sick leave). If the ballot measure is approved, these essential positions would be filled so in-the-field police officers and detectives can concentrate on their jobs fighting crime and keeping the community safe. Town of Monument Police Funding Ballot Measure Survey, 563n, 3.97% MoE, May 2021 ---PAGE BREAK--- 23 Monument Police Department Funding Ballot Measure Information Ranked by More Likely to Vote Yes 55% 53% 54% 53% 79% 80% 80% 81% Total More Likely Much More Likely Update Arrest Report Software and Computers Will Have 4 to 5 Officers on Patrol At All Times Only One Detective, Second Female Detective to be Hired Update, Certify, and Maintain Officer Public Safety Equipment Town of Monument Police Funding Ballot Measure Survey, 563n, 3.97% MoE, May 2021 ---PAGE BREAK--- 24 46% 46% 55% 54% 75% 77% 78% 79% Total More Likely Much More Likely Reducing Response Times 5th Squad Patrol Unit 12 Vehicles in Fleet, Overdue for Replacement & Maintenance Hire Professional Police Administrative Staff Town of Monument Police Funding Ballot Measure Survey, 563n, 3.97% MoE, May 2021 Monument Police Department Funding Ballot Measure Information Ranked by Total More Likely to Vote Yes ---PAGE BREAK--- Informed Monument Police Funding Ballot Measure Test 25 Town of Monument Police Funding Ballot Measure Survey, 563n, 3.97% MoE, May 2021 ---PAGE BREAK--- Informed Monument Police Department Funding Ballot Measure Test 26 74% 19% 7% Total Yes, Approve Total No, Reject Undecided Definitely Yes, Approve 48% Probably Yes, Approve 26% Lean Yes, Approve 2% Definitely No, Reject 11% Probably No, Reject 8% Lean No, Reject 1% Still Undecided 4% 65% 68% 70% 71% 73% 73% 75% 78% 79% 80% 82% 83% 25% 25% 22% 23% 20% 21% 19% 14% 14% 9% 10% 12% 10% 7% 8% 6% 7% 6% 6% 8% 7% 11% 8% 5% Unaffiliated Democrat Town Only Men 18-44 45-64 Triview 65+ Women Lake of the Rockies* Village Center* Republican Total Yes, Support Total No, Oppose No Opinion Responses By Voter Subgroup – Ranked By Total Yes, Approve *Due to the size of Lake of the Rockies and Village Center Metro Districts, the Margin of Error is +/-23.74% and +/-13.68% respectively. Town of Monument Police Funding Ballot Measure Survey, 563n, 3.97% MoE, May 2021 ---PAGE BREAK--- Monument Police Department Funding Ballot Measure Uninformed Ballot Test Vs. Informed Ballot Test 27 Uninformed Informed 64% 74% 26% 19% 10% 7% Total Yes, Approve Total No, Reject Undecided +10 -7 -3 Town of Monument Police Funding Ballot Measure Survey, 563n, 3.97% MoE, May 2021 ---PAGE BREAK--- Monument Police Department Funding Ballot Measure 28 *Due to the size of Lake of the Rockies and Village Center Metro Districts, the Margin of Error is +/-23.74% and +/-13.68% respectively. 78% 76% 72% 76% 61% 62% 59% 62% 62% 68% 63% 51% 82% 80% 78% 83% 70% 71% 68% 73% 73% 79% 75% 65% Village Center* Lake of the Rockies* 65+ Republican Town Only Men Democrat 18-44 45-64 Women Triview Unaffiliated Informed Yes, Approve Uninformed Yes, Approve +14 +12 +11 +11 +11 +9 +9 +9 +7 +6 +4 +4 Informed vs. Uninformed by Voter Subgroup Ranked by Increase in Support Town of Monument Police Funding Ballot Measure Survey, 563n, 3.97% MoE, May 2021 ---PAGE BREAK--- Monument Police Funding Ballot Measure – Informed Verbatims “Please describe the reasons why you would vote yes and approve a 0.5% sales tax increase to fund Police Department services and programs.” 29 “This area is going so fast we can not keep up superior service w/o an upgrade & that takes money.” -Female, 65+, Republican “I believe an increase in sales tax is a small price for our family and community's safety.” -Female, 35-44, Unaffiliated “Much needed equipment and services would be funded for lass than a penny a day per household.” -Male, 55-64, Democrat “We've had a very professional police department for many years. I'd like to give them every opportunity to stay on top of their game for the betterment and ultimately improved safety of the Town of Monument.” -Male, 55-64, Democrat “Small price to pay for such an impactful gain for our police force.” -Male, 35-44, Other Party “As a member of this community I would feel safer if the department had the money they needed for any and all the improvements that would allow them to serve us better, while keeping themselves better protected.” -Female, 45-54, Republican Themes Police are Important to Community Police Need New Equipment, Understanding of Need Back the Blue, Support for Police Understanding of They Have Been Underfunded for a Long Time With the Growth, We Need More Police Small Price to Pay Verbatim Responses Town of Monument Police Funding Ballot Measure Survey, 563n, 3.97% MoE, May 2021 ---PAGE BREAK--- 30 Themes No Tax Increase Defund the Police Reallocate the Budget, Work Within Means Taxes are Too High Already Verbatim Responses “They have management issues and high taxes. I don't need any new taxes.” -Male, 65+, Democrat “No tax increases. More people are moving here. Use their money instead.” -Female, 55-64, Republican “We need less police not more.” -Female, 45-54, Unaffiliated “The Police Dept is already well funded.” -Male, 45-54, Unaffiliated “The city is collecting enough already. They need to reallocate where it goes. Then, the police department would have enough.” -Male, 65+, Unaffiliated “Learn to manage the money you have. I also keep hearing that a lot of officers have left in the last year due to a toxic leadership environment so how is more money going to fix that?” -Female, 35-44, Republican “No more taxes!” -Male, 65+, Republican Monument Police Funding Ballot Measure – Informed Verbatims “Please describe the reasons why you would vote no and reject a 0.5% sales tax increase to fund Police Department services and programs.” Town of Monument Police Funding Ballot Measure Survey, 563n, 3.97% MoE, May 2021 ---PAGE BREAK--- Opinion of a Ballot Measure With a Sunset Provision 31 Town of Monument Police Funding Ballot Measure Survey, 563n, 3.97% MoE, May 2021 ---PAGE BREAK--- If the ballot measure included a sunset provision so the 0.5% sales tax would expire after 10 years, would you be more likely to vote yes and approve it, or would it not make a difference in your decision? 32 59% 28% 13% Sunset Provision Makes No Difference More Likely to Vote Yes, Approve No Opinion 65% 64% 62% 58% 60% 55% 58% 54% 58% 56% 20% 21% 22% 28% 29% 30% 30% 32% 32% 34% 15% 15% 16% 14% 11% 15% 12% 14% 10% 10% 18-44 Democrat Women Triview Republican Unaffiliated Town Only 45-64 65+ Men Sunset Makes No Difference More Likely to Support No Opinion Responses By Voter Subgroup – Ranked by More Likely to Support Town of Monument Police Funding Ballot Measure Survey, 563n, 3.97% MoE, May 2021 ---PAGE BREAK--- Survey Insights, Findings and Observations 33 Town of Monument Police Funding Ballot Measure Survey, 563n, 3.97% MoE, May 2021 ---PAGE BREAK--- Findings & Observations • The Monument Police Department has a very strong image rating with 84% of respondents having a favorable opinion of the department, and only 9% having an unfavorable opinion. • The department also has a very strong approval rating with 86% of respondents approving of the job the department is doing. • Among all voters, 56% agree that the Monument Police Department is fiscally responsible and spends taxpayer money wisely, and only 8% disagree. Town of Monument Police Funding Ballot Measure Survey, 563n, 3.97% MoE, May 2021 34 ---PAGE BREAK--- Findings & Observations • Among all voters, 64% would vote to increase the sales tax by 0.5% to generate a funding source for the Monument Police Department. Only 26% would vote no and reject the sales tax increase. • After reading/hearing eight different messages to persuade voters to support the sales tax increase, 74% of voters would vote yes and approve the ballot measure, an increase of 10 points. Town of Monument Police Funding Ballot Measure Survey, 563n, 3.97% MoE, May 2021 35 ---PAGE BREAK--- Findings & Observations • The top three messages were: • Updating arrest report software and computers – 81% more likely. • Increasing the number of officers on patrol at all times – 80% more likely. • Hiring a second, female detective – 80% more likely. • Even though these three were the top, all eight messages were 75% or higher total more likely to support the ballot measure. All eight messages are strong messages to use. Town of Monument Police Funding Ballot Measure Survey, 563n, 3.97% MoE, May 2021 36 ---PAGE BREAK--- Findings & Observations • Voters were asked why they would support the ballot measure the common themes were, an understanding of the need for the Police department and for them to have the equipment necessary to succeed. Respondents also understood that as the town has grown, the police department needs to grow as well. • Among voters that said they would vote no, the two common themes were, they would never vote for any kind of tax increase, and they agreed with the defund the police movement. Town of Monument Police Funding Ballot Measure Survey, 563n, 3.97% MoE, May 2021 37 ---PAGE BREAK--- David Flaherty Courtney Sievers Ryan Winger Magellan Strategies 1685 Boxelder Street, Ste. 300 Louisville, CO 80027 [PHONE REDACTED] www.MagellanStrategies.com 38 Town of Monument Colorado 2021 Community Survey, 846n 3.2% MoE, April 2021