Plainfield Community Survey on Policing

The data and analysis from the Plainfield Community Survey on Policing is available for download here. The report includes a 5 page executive summary; information about our town, some background on how the survey came about; response data and comments; and three appendices. We appreciate the 177 people who took the time to respond to this survey. Thank you for your input! Questions regarding the survey and findings may be directed to the Select Board.

Dear Plainfield Residents,

We invite you to complete a short survey to share your perspectives on policing in Plainfield. The survey is open to all Plainfield residents who are 18 years or older and can be taken online or by completing a paper form (one response per person, please). If you choose to participate your responses will be anonymous and will be summarized in a report shared with the Police Department and made available to all townspeople. The deadline for survey responses is was February 28, 2022.

The goals of the survey are to:

Offer all adults in Plainfield the opportunity to provide their input to the Select Board on matters relating to policing in Plainfield;
Provide the Police Department with information that can help form specific goals and objectives for addressing the policing needs of the community;
Provide the Select Board with information to help hold the Police Chief accountable to the needs and concerns of the community.

Survey Instructions:

Look for the 4-digit control number on the bottom of the letter you received in the mail; you must include this number in your survey response. (This is a randomly generated number and your name and address is not associated with this number; it is simply to ensure only one response per eligible person to the survey.)
To take the survey online, please fill out the Google form. We strongly urge online responses to reduce the administrative burden of survey tabulation.
If you would prefer to respond via paper form, you may pick up a form at the Shaw Memorial Library or Town Offices at 304 Main Street, or you may download the form and print it out.

Background Information:

Plainfield has invested significantly over the past three years to establish a full-time police department. This survey seeks residents’ perceptions of the safety and quality of life in Plainfield, overall performance of the department, direct feedback about how our police department engages with citizens, and how citizens view their interactions with our police department. You may wish to review the following information prior to completing the survey: