Rate a Cop: Police Want to Hear How They're Doing

Oak Forest residents who've had a run in with the long arm of the law are soon going to have the opportunity to share their experience.

The Oak Forest Police Department will participate in a new study from the University of Illinois at Chicago. The program is part of the university's Center for Research and Criminal Justice and is called the Illinois Police-Community Interaction Survey.

“We are very excited to be a part of this project," said Oak Forest Police Chief Greg Anderson, in a release about the study. "Knowing how the public perceives their experiences with our officers is invaluable to having a better understanding of what we do well and what we need to improve."

Anderson said that the police force will not see any of the surveys, which will go directly to the university. He said this was the best way to receive accurate answers from residents, without fear of retaliation by an officer over a negative interaction.

He added that the program will run until the summer of 2013, and that most people who come in contact with officers will be able to participate. Anderson said, though, that juvenile and domestic cases will not be part of the survey.

Anderson added that the measure of any good police department is the involvement of the community and that he hoped residents would take part in the program.

“It's up to those people who we come in contact with, it's up to them if they want to participate,” Anderson said.

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