Brookline To Survey Residents To Help Reimagine Policing In Town

BROOKLINE, MA — Some 25,000 Brookline residents may soon get a survey in the mail from the Task Force to Reimagine Policing in town asking them to weigh in on policing and public safety soliciting community feedback.

"The survey is part of the Task Force's efforts to develop a baseline understanding of the state of policing in Brookline, and use a data-informed approach to make recommendations for a distinctly alternative approach to public safety," according to the Task Force.

The Task Force worked with Tufts University to conduct the survey. The group is hoping everyone who gets it by mail fill it out and return it as soon as possible.

"It’s critical for us to get participation from a broad array of Town residents, especially residents of color, disabled residents, those with mental health issues and their families, and other residents from historically marginalized groups," Task Force Chair Raul Fernandez said.

Researchers conducting the survey identified 25,000 largely by random, according to the town, "with care taken to especially sample residents of color and those living in public housing."

Task Force Member Eitan Hersh, who is also a professor at Tufts and who specializes in survey data said the group purposely over sampled Brookline's Black and Latino population, as those groups views are often underrepresented.

"We generally expect the community at large to be satisfied with their own experience with the police, what we’re trying to understand is how much that experience carries through communities of color," Hersh said.

The 40 question survey asks residents to share their demographic information and spans questions from rating the police department to asking about the police department budget based on the town's budget to asking for personal experiences, both positive and negative as related to the police. The survey mirrors surveys being sent out in Cambridge and Somerville, according to Hersh and not only will provide insight to how Brookline residents view the police, but also how Brookline's experiences compare with Somerville and Cambridge.

The underling question that the Task Force wants to know is how satisfied with Brookline's police are different sets of populations, particularly with respect to race.

The answer, whether it is that everyone is satisfied or that different population subgroups are not satisfied, sets the direction of the Task Force's next steps.

But, Hersh and others on the Task Force stress the survey is just one way they are soliciting public comment.

Task Force members said they will also reach out to some residents separately to provide feedback on the Brookline Police Department's Walk and Talk program.

Read more: Brookline Officials To Discuss Police Task Force

In the wake of social justice protests that rippled across the country and into Brookline, town leaders voted to create a Task Force to Reimagine Policing in Brookline and the Select Board Committee on Policing Reforms.

Fernandez, who sits on the Select Board, chairs the task force and Select Board chairperson Bernard Greene chairs the committee. The teams are working separately on their respective charges and will then come together to compare findings and coordinate next steps.

The Task Force is charged with exploring and recommending a new, data-informed approach to public safety. The group said it wanted to develop an understanding of the town's approach to public safety, as well as an in-depth sense of how specific populations — including, but not limited to people of different races, religious, sexual orientations, gender, gender identity and ethnicity experience policing.

Hersh said he expects about 20 percent of those who receive the survey to respond, based on his experience in survey research.

"I hope people take it and answer honestly," said Hersh. "It’s really hard to understand where the public is on a lot of issues, particularly in our community."

Jenna Fisher is a news reporter for Patch. Got a tip? She can be reached at Jenna.Fisher@patch.com or by calling 617-942-0474. Follow her on Twitter and Instagram (@ReporterJenna). Have a something you'd like posted on the Patch? Here's how.