Public Safety Study

Participants in the Public Safety Study - renamed the "Redefining Community Safety" study - in Missoula County expressed safety concerns about housing and the visibility of the unhoused population, rising rates of assaults, increases in drug prevalence and use, particularly fentanyl and methamphetamine, and the ongoing concerns about domestic violence and Missing and Murdered Indigenous People.

In Mecklenburg and St. Louis Counties, respondents referenced gun violence and issues related to the police as major safety concerns in their communities.

Researchers also conducted a media analysis in the three counties to discover how local media reported on crime and the legal system. These counties are currently working on interventions around crime and community safety funded, in part, through the Safety and Justice Challenge.

From this survey, researchers and criminal justice experts provided a series of recommendations on how local communities can reimagine what safety looks like. These recommendations include:

• Making information on community safety readily available, so that it can be used by a variety of stakeholders. All three counties have ongoing data collection efforts that can measure various components of community safety identified in this study. Creating a dashboard or website that brings together these data and makes them easily accessible can empower communities to achieve real community safety.
• Using more precise language. Framing conversations around “community safety" instead of "public safety" may help people think more expansively about what safety looks like and how to achieve this goal. Redefining community safety in this way has the potential to reveal the broader historical forces that create and sustain inequalities in safety.
• Educating people on what a more inclusive and equitable vision of safety can look like. While low rates of violence and feeling secure are key components of community safety, it is much more than that. There are a range of possibilities that move beyond a focus on crime statistics.
• Identifying local priorities and structuring future action steps using the Community Safety Concept Map that was generated from this research. This map is designed to be a dynamic tool to engender discussions about safety and to ensure that local stakeholders consider a more holistic perspective.

Through this study, we hope to make information on community safety readily available for a variety of stakeholders. Community outreach-based studies enable organizations to explore ongoing data collection, improved community engagement, use of language which reflects the nuanced experiences of community members, opportunities for education and inclusion, and identifying local priorities and future action steps generated from this research.

This survey contained questions about community safety priorities, as well as questions about demographics and prior experiences. Responses will be used to develop new ways to define and measure public safety that reflects the voices of a broad range of individuals living or working in Missoula County. The survey closed Saturday, July 15. A report will follow, likely in October, so stay tuned for future engagement opportunities!

This survey is now closed.

In addition to Missoula County, researchers at the University of Missouri, St. Louis, worked with Mecklenburg County, North Carolina, and St. Louis County, Missouri, to conduct the study. Researchers will use the study to help develop and sustain innovative methods to make communities across the country safer.

The survey had three goals:

If you have been involved in the criminal justice system at some point in your life and you wish to stay involved in this study, please contact Safety and Justice Challenge Coordinator Chelsea Wittmann at cwittmann@missoulacounty.us or 406-258-3838. The Community Justice Department is seeking individuals who have been involved in the criminal justice system to help with the next step of this study, and you may be compensated for your help.