Overall, Utah County residents are pretty pleased with the performance of the county's major law enforcement agencies - but Orem residents are a little more pleased than their neighbors.
According to a Dan Jones and Associates poll conducted for the Deseret News between Nov. 13 and 15, 72 percent of Orem residents approve of the police protection provided by the Utah County sheriff's office and a whopping 89 percent of those residents approve of the job being done by their hometown police force.Overall, Jones polled 402 Utah County residents about their feelings concerning the job the Utah County sheriff's office is doing, with that poll having a 5 percent margin of error. Additionally, Jones polled 113 Orem residents about the job being done by the Orem police department (with a 9 percent margin of error) and 130 Provo residents about the job being done by the Provo police department (with an 8.5 percent margin of error).
Orem Police Chief Ted Peacock said that the results may be attributable with the Orem department's programs, many of which are service-oriented.
"That makes me feel really good about the confidence they have in their police," Peacock said. "We're trying to make sure the force is as service-oriented as possible and let residents know they're cared about."Also, Peacock said, officials strive to ensure that residents are aware of programs the department offers and are always "trying to be open with what it does."
Despite slight differences between areas, very few respondents seem to be dissatisfied with their police protection, with 7 percent disapproving of the sheriff's office service, 8 percent disapproving of Orem's service and only 4 percent disapproving of Provo's protection.
Middle-aged and Republican respondents were most pleased with the sheriff's office.
Responses differed little among residents of different areas of the county - Provo, Orem, northern Utah County and southern Utah County.
Utah County Sheriff Dave Bate-man called the results heartening, attributing them to aggressive enforcement policies. "That's really good news to hear," Bateman said. "I've felt like we've been fairly responsive to the needs of residents in meeting their expectation of protection, and the results seem to bear that out. It appears that people agree with our law-enforcement philosophy."
Bateman said that with those results in hand, his department will continue to provide the high quality of protection and "work hard to keep the quality of life here where it is."
Provo police officials say that though they emphasize accountability to those they serve - the public - the poll results will not influence policy matters.
"While it's gratifying to know that we have a high approval rating, I certainly don't take that as an indication that we can rest on our laurels as far as our police protection is concerned," said Provo Police Chief Swen Nielsen.
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(Poll)
Deseret News Poll
Do you approve or disapprove of the job being done by the Utah County sheriff's office?
Strongly Approve 22%
Somewhat Approve 50%
Somewhat Disapprove 5%
Strongly Disapprove 2%
Don't know 22%
Do you approve or disapprove of the way the Orem Police Department is doing its job?
Strongly Approve 37%
Somewhat Approve 52%
Somewhat Disapprove 4%
Strongly Disapprove 4%
Don't know 3%
Do you approve or disapprove of the way the Provo Police Department is doing its job?
Strongly Approve 36%
Somewhat Approve 38%
Somewhat Disapprove 2%
Don't know 22%