On August 23rd, City Council will once again discuss the EPS  Funding Formula. 

At the start of July, I asked you to participate in my EPS Funding Formula Survey. My goal was to get a generalized understanding about how people felt about matters relating to the Edmonton Police Service. This is not a scientific survey by any means, it simply reflects the views of those that chose to participate.

Following is a summary of the responses to the questions. I also received many written comments that I am still reviewing and for which I am grateful.

In the coming days, I will be posting another blog about Police Funding which will also include additional comments about EPS. Please check back for that blog. 

Survey results as follows: 

Which community do you live in?

• Total Responses: 411
• Skipped: 0
• Answer Results: 
  • 10% -  A) Windermere / Langdale / Keswick
  • 3% - B) Ambleside / Glenridding / Glenridding Ravine
  • 6% - C) Brookside
  • 18% D) Brander Gardens / Ramsay Heights / Rhatigan Ridge
  • 18% E) Brookview / Carter Crest / Leger / Hodgson / Ogilvie
  • 9% - F)  Henderson / Haddow / Falconer
  • 9% - G) Terwillegar Towne / Terwillegar Heights /South Terwillegar
  • 6% - H) Magrath / MacTaggart
  • 19% - I) Not in the Ward 

How do you perceive property crime in your community over the past year?

• Total Responses: 421
• Skipped: 2 (0%) 
• Answer Results: 
  • 1% - A) Improving
  • 45% - B) Getting worse
  • 53% - C) About the same

How do you perceive violent crime in your community over the past year?

• Total Responses: 420
• Skipped: 4 (1%)
• Answer Results: 
  • 3% - A) Improving
  • 41% - B) Getting worse
  • 55% - C) About the same

How do you perceive driver behaviour in your community over the past year?

• Total Responses: 405 
• Skipped: 3 (1%)
• Answer Results: 
  • 7% - A) Improving
  • 52% - B) Getting worse
  • 41% - C) About the same

Should City Council use a funding formula to determine future Edmonton Police Service (EPS) budgets (to generate consistent increases or decreases)?

• Total Responses: 404 
• Skipped: 3 (1%)
• Answer Results: 
  • 74% - A) Yes
  • 25% - B) No

Should an EPS funding formula to increase funding be based on inflation, population growth, or a combination of the two?

• Total Responses: 402
• Skipped: 8 (2%)
• Answer Results: 
  • 2% - A) Inflation only
  • 7% - B) Population growth only
  • 55% - C) Inflation plus population growth
  • 34% - D) Inflation plus population growth, minus an efficiency factor

Currently EPS funding comprises 14.8% of the City’s $3.3B Operating Budget. Should EPS funding be limited to a certain proportion of the overall City budget?

• Total Responses: 408 
• Skipped: 3 (1%) 
• Answer Results: 
  • 7% - A) Limit EPS budget to 14.8% of the overall City budget
  • 8%- B) Limit the EPS budget to less than 14.8% of the overall City budget
  • 19% - C) Set an EPS funding limit higher than 14.8% of the overall City budget
  • 65%- D) Don’t set a limit relative to the overall City budget

Should the current EPS budget be reduced?

• Total Responses: 397 
• Skipped: 2 (1%) 
• Answer Results: 
  • 10% - A) Yes, using a consistent reduction formula (to be determined)
  • 5% - B) Yes, using a consistent percentage reduction
  • 2% - C) Yes, using a consistent dollar reduction
  • 83% - D) No, no reduction

If the current EPS budget is reduced, what should the basis of EPS funding be?

• Total Responses: 394
• Skipped: 37 (9%) 
• Answer Results: 
  • 13% - A) A lower percentage of the overall City budget
  • 12% - B) A specific dollar amount
  • 65% - C) Some other funding metric

How should the performance of EPS be measured?

• Total Responses: 393
• Skipped: 2 (1%) 
• Answer Results: 
  • 5% - A) Specific crime statistics?
  • 4% - B) Response times to different crime categories?
  • 1% - C) Number of sworn officers?
  • 2% - D) Number of complaints?
  • 6%- E) Perceptions of crime as suggested in Questions 1 to 3 above?
  • 81% - F) Some combination of all of the above?

Additional comments - please use this space to clarify your responses.  If you have different dollar or percentage values, please record them here. If you have suggestions for different performance metrics, please offer them here.  And if there are any matters I have missed, please share them.

• Total Written Responses: 281
• Skipped: 112 (28%)

I appreciate any and all comments you may have , on this or any other municipal matter. Please email me at [email protected].