Residents Overall Happy With Crystal Lake PD, Survey Finds

CRYSTAL LAKE, IL — The Crystal Lake Police Department released the results of its 2021 Citizen Survey on Monday, and overall, most residents appear satisfied with the work that the department is doing to serve the community and keep it safe.

More than 200 people completed the survey with most responses showing that a large portion of participants hold a favorable view of the police department, the officers, and the services provided.

"As we continue to strive to perform at even higher levels, please know even critical comments or suggestions for improvement have garnered our attention," the department posted on its official Facebook page.

In one question, residents were asked to rate the overall competence of the police department's employees. Fifty-nine percent of residents gave an "excellent" rating, 29 percent of survey takers said the department's competence was "good" while almost 8 percent gave police department staff an "average" rating.

"They are and have always been quality and caring. I don’t think they could do better," one resident commented on the survey.

"I have not had much experience with having to deal with our police officers, but when I have, it was always more than professional," one person posted.

Meanwhile, about five percent of residents gave the department a "fair" or "poor" rating for competency, with some accusing officers of being above the law and racial profiling.

"Where do I begin, bad at wearing masks, stopped someone for playing a violin in front of Target when she was doing nothing wrong. It was not okay for officers to stop her, and during the BLM protests your officers were dismissive and didn't seem to care that their system is racist," one person remarked in the survey.

In the survey, most residents, with the exception of only a few, said Crystal Lake officers were professionalism in the field.

"Always very friendly, and I appreciate how well they handle big crime events that happen here," one person commented. "I always trust them to follow through and do the right thing, as evidenced by the many things they have done in the past."

"In this hellish environment of 'blame cops,' our officers don't let the abuse show in their dealings with the public," another person said.

However, some residents believe there is much room for improvement.

"During my interactions over the past thirty five years, some officers have been very helpful and respectful while others have had a rather aggressive attitude and have a low tolerance level," one person commented.

"I believe they are predisposed to stop/arrest people of color. Two friends who are black both agree they will not drive through Crystal Lake at night because they might get pulled over for 'driving while black,'" another person said.

The survey consisted of 23 questions. More than half of the survey participants, about 54 percent, were women and about 45 percent were men. About 25 percent of residents who took the survey were between the ages of 35 and 55. Another 25 percent of respondents were 65 and older.

Here's how residents responded to some of the other questions:

1. If you've interacted with the police department, was the officer or civilian employee professional and courteous during the contact?

• 80.74 percent: Yes
• 19.26 percent: No

2. Officers and employees are professional and respectful:

• 57.29 percent: Strongly Agree
• 29.65 percent: Agree
• 10.05 percent: Neutral
• 1.51 percent: Disagree
• 1.51 percent: Strongly Disagree

3. Do you or your family member feel they were treated with respect and dignity?

• 88.08 percent: Yes
• 11.92 percent: No

4. How do you feel about the safety and security of Crystal Lake?

• 43.95 percent: Very Safe
• 38.57 percent: Safe
• 13.45 percent: Fairly Safe
• 4.04 percent: Very Unsafe

5. How would you rate police visibility in the community?

• 22.32 percent: Highly Visible
• 49.11 percent: Visible
• 22.77 percent: Somewhat Visible
• 5.80 percent: Not Visible

To view the survey results in its entirety, click here.