The Orange County Sheriff’s Office commissioned a survey last month to examine law enforcement policies and improve accountability in the agency.
Sheriff Charles Blackwood said the survey will be used to inform future policy and training decisions.
The survey from Public Policy Polling asked 740 Orange County residents in November about policing and priorities of the local department.
The results showed residents believe the top priority of the sheriff’s office should be responding to incidents of fraud, scams or identity theft.
Director of Public Policy Polling, Tom Jensen, spoke with 97.9 The Hill earlier this week. He said this is a new issue for many sheriff’s departments.
“If we were operating 25 years ago, I don’t think the idea of fraud, scams and identity theft would’ve broken through as something that folks needed to be worried about,” Jensen said. “With technology just proliferating, it’s making those kinds of things more and more common.”
The survey said 82 percent of residents placed a high priority on the issue. The other top priority of the survey was trespassing and loitering, with 88 percent of voters saying they consider it a priority.
Jensen said that result was less surprising because it is such a longstanding issue.
“It sort of shows the complexity of running a sheriff’s office in 2021 because the things people want you to focus on,” Jensen said. “Some of it is very traditional sort of stuff and some of these are really sort of new wave issues that I think sheriff’s offices are having to learn how to deal with that they haven’t had to the same extent previously.”
While the high priorities of Orange County residents mix old and new issues, Jensen said the low priorities show the progressive nature of the area.
According to the survey, one of the lowest priorities is marijuana possession, with just 13 percent of voters considering it a priority.
“There’s just a rapid change in opinions related to marijuana and the extent to which that should be considered a crime,” Jensen said. “It’s really similar to what we would’ve been talking about in terms of a rapid public shift with gay marriage a decade ago.”
Jensen said there is also a national trend toward decriminalizing the drug, but there is a major generational divide on the issue.
Orange County Sheriff Charles Blackwood said the results of the poll will guide outreach efforts and improve communication with constituents.
“I wanted to be sure my deputies’ service is informed by the will of the entire community,” Blackwood said. “As we continue to explore the value of this initiative, it is clear we received highly valuable information. We will periodically commission similar polls.”
That desire for civic engagement from his constituents has proven beneficial for Blackwood, with the survey showing just an eight percent disapproval rating.
Jensen said Blackwood’s polling numbers are noteworthy when considering the current national conversation surrounding policing.
“To be the sheriff in a very liberal place like Orange County, and only have eight percent of voters disapproving of you is pretty remarkable,” Jensen said. “It shows that you’re figuring out how to strike a balance between both people who do want to see a sheriff’s office that’s tough on crime and also people who want to see a pretty compassionate sheriff’s office that operates in a humanitarian way.”
Blackwood said he was encouraged by the approval numbers, but he believes there is still room to grow.
“I learned many people are unfamiliar with the work I do as their sheriff,” he said. “This indicates a need for greater outreach and education.”
Blackwood is set to be on the ballot in 2022 seeking his third term as sheriff.
The Orange County Sheriff’s Office told 97.9 The Hill the survey was commissioned to gauge the priorities of his constituents.
“Sheriff Blackwood is motivated to protect public safety and serve the community to the best of his ability,” the Orange County Sheriff’s Office said. “Everything he does is toward that end. If he is in touch with the priorities of the community, he is better able to do his job well; therefore, he commissioned the poll because he expected it would give him insight into the community’s priorities and he could use the information to adapt our service to the changing needs and desires of Orange County.”
Photo via the Orange County Sheriff’s Office.
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