2019 CITIZEN SURVEY: CALCASIEU PARISH

SUMMARY REPORT POLICE JURY

FEBRUARY 2020
SUMMARY REPORT
In 2019, the Calcasieu Parish Police Jury (CPPJ) adopted a three-year strategic plan with a supporting mission,
vision, and values to guide all priorities, goals, and strategies included within the plan. The CPPJ developed this
plan with a significant amount of input and engagement, including externally within the Calcasieu Parish
community. As part of this process, the CPPJ distributed a detailed citizen survey focused on gathering input and
feedback on priorities and resource planning, as well as understanding citizen concerns. These survey results
served as a key input into the development of strategic priorities and initiatives the CPPJ is working to pursue as
part of the plan’s implementation.

To build on these results and continue aligning the delivery of services and programs that best meet the needs of
Calcasieu Parish citizens, the CPPJ initiated a 2019 citizen survey. The CPPJ engaged Emergent Method, a
Louisiana-based management consulting firm that supported the CPPJ in its strategic planning efforts, to serve as
an objective third-party expert for the design, implementation, and analysis of this survey. The survey instrument
was distributed widely throughout the parish both electronically and in print format.

Like the 2018 survey, this instrument and process was designed to gather anonymous feedback, allowing citizens
to be forthcoming with their responses. The link to the online version of the survey was made available to citizens
on the CPPJ website beginning Oct. 25, 2019 and ending November 15, 2019, with the survey widely publicized
through social media, press releases, media appearances, and word of mouth. In addition to the online link,
citizens were able to complete paper versions of the survey at the Parish Government Building in Lake Charles.
Emergent Method collected all completed surveys, which were then combined into one database for analysis. In
total, 635 citizens completed the survey.

SURVEY DEMOGRAPHICS
Much like the 2018 survey, the geographic breakdown of survey respondents closely mirrored the population
density of citizens across Calcasieu Parish: Lake Charles was the best-represented area, with 288 responses
(45.4 percent of total responses), followed by Moss Bluff (95 responses, 15.0 percent), Sulphur (81, 12.8
percent), and other unincorporated areas of the parish (52, 8.2 percent). 41 Carlyss residents participated (6.5
percent), followed by Westlake (27, 4.3 percent), Vinton (20, 3.2 percent), and Iowa (19, 3.0 percent). A total of 12
DeQuincy residents completed the survey, with 12 responses (1.9 percent).

20 1 9 P ART IC I PA TIO N 20 1 8 P ART IC I PA TIO N

AR EA
NU M B ER P ER C EN T NU M B ER P ER C EN T
CA R L YS S 41 6. 5 44 6. 2
DE Q U IN C Y 12 1. 9 22 3. 1
IO W A 19 3. 0 28 3. 9
L A KE C H AR L E S 28 8 45 . 4 27 1 38 . 1
MO S S B LU F F/G I LL I S 95 15 . 0 11 5 16 . 2
SU L P HU R 81 12 . 8 10 0 14 . 0

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 20 1 9 P ART IC I PA TIO N 20 1 8 P ART IC I PA TIO N
AR EA
NU M B ER P ER C EN T NU M B ER P ER C EN T
UN IN CO R PO R AT ED
52 8. 2 73 10 . 3
AR E A S
VI NTO N 20 3. 2 27 3. 8
W E ST L A K E 27 4. 3 32 4. 5

Most respondents have lived in Calcasieu Parish for many years, with 64.6 percent of respondents reporting that
they’ve lived in the parish for 30 years or more (408 responses), 80 more who have lived in Calcasieu Parish for
20-29 years (12.7 percent), and 75 others who have lived in the parish for 10-19 years (11.9 percent). Just 4.4
percent of respondents have lived in the parish for 5-9 years (28 responses), while slightly more have lived in
Calcasieu Parish for less than five years (41, 6.5 percent).

Most respondents are employed (432 responses, 68.5 percent) or self-employed (40, 6.3 percent). Only 24
survey participants are unemployed (3.8 percent), and just 10 students participated in the survey (1.6 percent).
19.8 percent of respondents indicated that their employed status was “other” (included those who are retired and
stay-at-home parents).

CITIZEN SATISFACTION
Respondents were asked to rate their satisfaction with a list of services provided by the CPPJ on a scale of 1 to 5,
with 1 equaling “very dissatisfied,” 5 equaling “very satisfied,” and a “N/A” response available for those
respondents who didn’t use any of the services enough to feel comfortable assigning a rating. The service areas
were organized based on the department that delivers the related service. 2019 ratings did not drastically differ
from the 2018 ratings, though the Animal Services rating increased 0.3 points, and Planning and Development
and the Office of Juvenile Justice Services increased 0.2, respectively, indicating a general increase in the
satisfaction of citizens around these services. Mosquito Control, Public Works, Facility Management, Homeland
Security/Emergency Preparedness, and Human Services’ scores each increased by 0.1 points, and the Special
Service Districts’ score remained the same.

No satisfaction scores decreased in the last year, while most increased slightly, indicating that the services
provided by the CPPJ are perceived by citizens to have improved in the past year.

Survey comments and other feedback suggest some confusion related to the programs and services provided by
the parish as opposed to those provided by cities in Calcasieu Parish or the state, thus potentially impacting
citizens’ satisfaction with a given agency or department.

Most respondents indicate that their most frequent interaction with the parish government came in the form of
visiting a parish park or facility (167 responses, 26.7 percent), requesting a service (105, 16.8 percent), or paying
a bill (86, 13.8 percent). To a lesser extent, citizens also reported visiting the Solid Waste Disposal Site (61, 9.8
percent), engaging in “other” types of interaction (36, 5.8 percent), or meeting with parish staff (33, 5.3 percent).
Only a few citizens indicate that they have utilized a CPPJ program (20, 3.2 percent) or that their most frequent
interaction is when filing or submitting a complaint (17, 2.7 percent). Additionally, just under 100 respondents (96,
15.4 percent) state that they do not typically interact with parish government.

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Overall, respondents indicate a slightly above average level of satisfaction with the levels of service provided by
parish employees (average score 3.4 on a 5-point scale, with 1 indicating high dissatisfaction and 5 indicating
high satisfaction). There was no significant difference in satisfaction between those who had recently interacted
with parish government and those who had not. Only 78 respondents (17.8 percent) indicate that they were
“dissatisfied” or “highly dissatisfied” with the levels of service received, though just under one-third of respondents
(135, 30.8 percent) indicate that they had a “neutral” experience, indicating that there is room to improve the
levels of customer service provided to citizens to ensure that more have distinctly positive experiences.
Respondents from Vinton indicated the highest levels of satisfaction with the parish-provided customer service
(average satisfaction score of 4.0), while Moss Bluff/Gillis and other unincorporated areas were least satisfied with
the levels of customer service received, with average satisfaction scores of 3.1, respectively.

When asked to evaluate whether they believe there have been improvements to five areas identified within the
recent strategic plan – litter, drainage, traffic/transportation, facilitating parish-wide development, and other
infrastructure – most citizens believe that there have been slight positive improvements to litter (2.2 average core
on a 3-point scale, with 3 indicating improving and 1 representing worsening), and within efforts to facilitate
parish-wide development (average score 2.2). Respondents on average perceive drainage (average score 1.9),
other infrastructure (1.8 average score), and traffic/transportation (average score 1.7) to have slightly worsened.

Iowa area residents were most likely to believe things were generally improving, assigning four of the five issue
areas (litter, facilitating parish-wide development, drainage, and traffic/infrastructure) their highest scores, while
Westlake area residents were the most likely to assign the lowest scores, indicating a belief that litter, other
infrastructure, and traffic/infrastructure were worsening. Vinton residents were the only to indicate a general belief
that other infrastructure issues were improving (average score 2.1). When asked what the CPPJ could do to
better provide these services, respondents noted the need for increased maintenance of ditches and culverts,
their belief that the parish should ensure there is appropriate drainage and infrastructure before allowing
additional construction, and the need to increase road maintenance and expand infrastructure projects.

Citizens indicate that it is relatively easy for them to find relevant information about CPPJ services, programs, and
operations (average score 4.5 on a 7-point scale with 1 indicating “not easy at all” and 7 representing “very
easy”), and that they prefer to receive information by social media (292 responses), the CPPJ website (222),
television (181), and email (179). To a lesser extent, some citizens prefer to receive information through the mail
(117 responses), and from the newspaper (107). Very few residents prefer to receive information from
government access television (26 responses) or by telephone (17).

Respondents are split on whether they know where to go to resolve specific issues or topics related to parish
services, programs, or operations; 42.8 percent say that they “sometimes” know where to go, and 36.1 percent
say that they do know. Just over one-fifth (21 percent) say that they do not generally know where to go to resolve
their issues, indicating that while the majority of residents know how to navigate the available institutional
resources, additional resources could be useful in helping citizens find the information they need. Vinton and
DeQuincy residents were most likely to say that they did know where to go (average scores of 2.4, respectively),
while Westlake residents (average score 1.9), and Iowa (average score 1.8) were least likely to state that they
generally knew where to go to find the resources they needed.

As part of the citizen survey, respondents were asked how likely they were to recommend Calcasieu Parish as a
quality place to live to a friend or family member. Most citizens who responded to this question answer

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affirmatively that they would recommend Calcasieu Parish as a place to live – and the ratio has increased in the
last year. In 2018, 69.5 percent of respondents said they would recommend the parish (asked as a ‘yes’ or ‘no’
question), while this year, 71.7 percent of respondents indicate that they were either ‘likely’ or ‘very likely’ to
recommend Calcasieu Parish to a friend or family member.

ADDITIONAL FEEDBACK
Finally, citizens were asked for any other comments that they felt would be helpful to this survey. These
responses were varied, but a significant amount mentioned the need to address drainage issues, the desire for
more infrastructure investments, and a desire for increased communication from the parish.

The following sections of this report contain an aggregated summary of all survey responses, listed in the order in
which survey questions were asked.

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CITIZEN SURVEY SUMMARY RESULTS
1) W HE R E IN T H E P AR I SH D O YO U LI V E ?

300 288

250

200

150

95
100 81
52
50 41
6 27 20 19 12
0 6

2) HO W LO NG H A VE YO U LI V E D IN C A LC A SI EU P AR I SH ?

450
408
400

350

300

250

200

150

100 75 80
50 41 28
0
Less than 5 years 5-9 years 10-19 years 20-29 years 30 years or more

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3) AR E YO U …

500
432
400

300

200
125
100
40
24 10
0
Employed Unemployed Self-Employed Student Other

O TH ER :
Disabled (13)
Homemaker (9)
Retired (87)
Stay at home wife/mother (9)

4) TH E FO LLO W IN G I NC LU D E S E RV IC E S P RO VI D ED B Y T H E CA LC A S IE U P A RI S H PO LI C E
J UR Y. P LE A S E R AT E YO UR SA TI SF A CT IO N W IT H T H E S E S E R VI C E S O N A SC A L E O F 1 -
TO - 5 , W ITH 1 EQ U AL I NG “ V E R Y DI S S AT IS F IE D” A ND 5 EQ U AL IN G “ V ER Y S A TI SF I ED .”
IF YO U DO N’ T UTI L IZ E A N Y O F T H E S E S E RV IC E S ENO UG H TO FE E L CO MFO RT A BL E
A S SIG NI NG A RA TI N G , P L E A SE I ND IC A T E “N / A.”

20 1 9 20 1 8
ST AT E M ENT AV E RA G E AV E RA G E
RAT ING RAT ING
HO M E LA ND SE C UR IT Y/ E M E RG EN C Y PR E P AR ED N E S S:
DI S A ST ER R E S PO N S E, E ME RG E NC Y P L A N S, AN D 4. 0 3. 9
E M ERG E NC Y PR E P A RE DN E S S D RI L L S/ E X ER CI S E S
FAC ILI T Y MA NA G EM EN T: C A PIT A L F AC IL I TY PRO J E CT S,
UP K E E P O F B UI L DI N G S A N D G RO U ND S , P AR K S 3. 7 3. 6
M AI NT EN A NC E , A ND TH E B URT O N CO M P L E X
AN IM AL S E R VI C E S : AN I M AL ADO P TIO N, L O ST P ET S,
AN I M AL - R E LA T ED CO M PL A IN TS , A NI M A L I M PO U ND IN G , 3. 6 3. 3
AN D A NI M A L O W N ER O UTR E A CH PRO G R A M S

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 20 1 9 20 1 8
ST AT E M ENT AV E RA G E AV E RA G E
RAT ING RAT ING
MO SQ UITO C O NT RO L : RO D ENT C O NT RO L, MO SQ UI TO
S PR A Y ING , E DU C ATI O N AL PRO G R A M S, A ND C ITI ZE N 3. 4 3. 3
RE Q U E ST S FO R S ER VI C E S
HU MA N S E R VI C ES : C O M MU NIT Y S ER V IC E S ( P U B LI C
TR AN S IT, EL D ER L Y A ND C HI LD S ER V IC E S) , BU S IN E S S
3. 3 3. 2
AN D C AR E E R SO L UTI O N S C ENT E R, HO U SI NG
A S SI ST A NC E , A ND W O R KFO RC E D E V EL O P M ENT
JU V E NIL E J U ST IC E S ER V IC E S: J U V E NI L E I NT A K E AN D
PR O BA TIO N S E R VI C E S, D E T ENT IO N C E NT ER ,
3. 3 3. 1
PR E V E NTI O N , INT E R V EN TIO N, AN D CO U N S E LI NG
PR O G R A M S
S P EC IA L S ER V IC E D I ST RI CT S ( P O LI C E JU RY
RE S PO N SI BL E FO R A P PO I NT ING B O A RD M E MB E R S):
FIR E D I STR IC T S, W A TE R DI ST RI CT S , DR A IN AG E 3. 0 3. 0
DI ST RI CT S, R E CR E A TIO N D I ST RI CT S, AN D S E W ER
DI ST RI CT S
PL AN NI NG AN D D E V ELO P M EN T: P L AN NI N G AN D
ZO NI NG , F LO O D PL A I N M AN AG E M EN T, AN D P ER M ITT ING 2. 6 2. 4
AN D E NFO RC E M EN T
PU BL IC WO R K S: P A R IS H RO A D AN D D RA I NA G E
M AI NT EN A NC E , V EG ET AT IO N M AN AG E M E NT, AN D SO LI D 2. 6 2. 5
W A ST E S E R VI C E S ( G AR B AG E AN D R EC Y C LI NG )

EMERGENTMETHOD.COM 7
5) IN TH E L A ST SI X M O NTH S , W H AT W A S YO UR MO S T F R EQ U E NT IN T ER A CTI O N WIT H
P AR I SH G O V ER N M EN T?

200

167

150

105
100 96
86

61
50
36
33
20 17
4
0
Visiting a Requesting I don't Paying a bill Visiting the Other Meeting Utilizing a Filing or Renting a
parish park a service typically Solid Waste with parish CPPJ submitting a parish RV
or facility interact with Disposal staff program complaint or hall
parish Site
government

6) TH E C P PJ HA S PR IO RIT IZ ED S E V ER A L P R O G R A MS O R S ER V IC E S TH AT I M P AC T
Q U AL IT Y O F LI F E F O R CA L C AS I EU P AR I S H CIT IZ EN S . DO Y O U FE E L LI K E T HE
P AR I SH I S DO IN G B E TTE R, T H E S A M E, O R W O R S E IN T H E S E A RE A S ?

Other infrastructure 38.5% 40.8% 20.7%

Facilitating parish-wide development 15.9% 53.2% 31.0%

Traffic/Transportation 45.3% 36.4% 18.3%

Drainage 36.6% 41.4% 22.0%

Litter 15.3% 47.5% 37.2%

0.0% 25.0% 50.0% 75.0% 100.0%

Worse No Change Better

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7) HO W C AN TH E C A LC A SI E U P A RI S H PO LI C E J UR Y D O A B E TT E R J O B I N P RO VI DI NG
AN Y O F TH E A BO V E S ER V I C E S ?
Address drainage issues by clearing ditches and culverts, being more responsive to drainage requests, and
being more proactive ahead of flood events
Make larger-scale investments in infrastructure, including traffic planning, light synchronization, infrastructure
maintenance, and road expansions to keep pace with the area’s population growth
Respond to all citizen requests, including requests for street repairs, drainage or culvert requests, and other
service requests, in a professional and timely manner
Enforce litter laws, enact litter fines, and continue programs to address litter throughout the parish
Address the needs of constituents throughout the parish, including those in rural areas, and ensure that rural
citizens’ voices and preferences are heard
Be more deliberate when planning development throughout the parish, making it easier for individuals to
access permits but being intentional when zoning larger projects to allow for sustainable growth
Increase citizen engagement by holding more town hall meetings, providing citizens with updates on ongoing
services and infrastructure projects, and gathering more citizen feedback
Other miscellaneous responses include requests for curbside recycling, maintaining boat launches and adding
“no wake zone” signs around launches, expanding hours and services offered by Animal Control, and
providing more shelters and low-income housing to address homelessness

8) HO W S AT I SFI E D A R E Y O U WIT H TH E L E V E L S O F CU STO M E R S E R V IC E PRO V ID E D TO

YO U B Y P A RI S H E M P LO Y E E S? IF YO U DO N’ T T Y P IC A LL Y I NT E RA CT WIT H P A RI S H
E M PLO Y E E S , P L E AS E S E L EC T “ N/ A .”

Level of Satisfaction 7.8% 10.0% 30.8% 36.5% 14.8%

0.0% 25.0% 50.0% 75.0% 100.0%

Highly Dissatisfied Dissatisfied Neutral Satisfied Highly Satisfied

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9) O N A S C A L E O F 1 TO 7 , W ITH 1 RE P R E S E NTI NG “NO T E A S Y AT A L L” A ND 7
RE P R E S ENT IN G “ V E R Y E A S Y ,” HO W E A S Y IS I T F O R Y O U TO A C CE S S R E L E V ANT
INFO R M ATIO N Y O U N E ED A BO U T T H E PO L IC E J UR Y S ER V IC E S, P RO G R AM S , A ND
O P E RA TIO N S?

150
140
133

102
100
86

68

54
50 42

0
1 2 3 4 5 6 7

10) HO W DO YO U P R EF E R TO G ET N E W S A N D IN FO R M AT IO N A BO U T PO L I CE J U R Y
S ER V IC E S , P RO G R A M S, AN D O P E R ATIO N S ?

300 292

250
222

200
181 179

150
117 107
100

50
26 18 17
0
Social CPPJ Television Email Mail Newspaper C-GOV Other Telephone
Media website

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11) W HE N DO YO U N E E D TO A DD R E S S A S P E CIF IC I S S U E/TO P IC R E L AT ED TO PA RI S H
S ER V IC E S , P RO G R A M S, O R O P ER A TIO N S , D O YO U K NO W W H E RE TO G O TO
RE S O L V E Y O U R I SS U E ?

300
269

227

200

132

100

0
No Sometimes Yes

12) HO W LI K E L Y A R E YO U TO R E CO M ME ND C A LC A SI E U P A RI S H A S A Q U A L IT Y P L AC E
TO LI V E TO A FR I EN D O R F A M IL Y M E M B E R?

250
225

200
167

150

107
100
68 63

50

0
Very Unlikely Unlikely Neither Likely Nor Likely Very Likely
Unlikely

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13) P L EA S E PRO V ID E AN Y A DD IT IO N A L THO U G HT S, I N SIG HT S , O R F E ED B AC K R E L AT E D
TO YO U R R E S PO N S E S O R S A TI SF A CTI O N WI TH TH E C A L CA S I E U P AR I SH PO LI CE
J UR Y.
This survey question was designed to capture any general or additional feedback from citizens associated with
parish services and programs. As such, many of the summary themes of this question mirrored those of other
questions contained within this survey, including the following:

Prioritize drainage and the maintenance of ditches and culverts to avoid the flooding of private homes
Continue to address traffic through infrastructure investments and enforcement of traffic laws
Ensure that the parish government is responsive to the needs of all CPPJ citizens, including rural residents
Make it easier for individual citizens to receive permits and be more deliberate in the zoning and approval of
larger-scale housing developments
Taxes throughout the parish are too high and should be lowered
Pay increased attention to park maintenance, and the consider creating more dog parks
Solid waste disposal sites are convenient and an asset to the community
Provide more affordable housing options to address homelessness
Police jurors and parish staff should provide timely responses to all citizen requests
Provide venues for citizens to provide regular feedback on projects and initiatives
Other miscellaneous requests include more regular Mosquito Control services, expanding Animal Control
hours, creating no wake zones around boat launches, addressing litter, and improving the quality of public
education

In addition to reiterating many of the comments from their survey responses, citizens provided specific examples
or requests they would like to see from the parish moving forward:

Update the parish website to allow for easier navigation to service-related pages
Improve the quality of public education throughout the parish
Provide job training opportunities for disabled citizens
Prioritize the cleanup of playground areas after storms
Address air and water pollution throughout the community
Expand the marketing of existing youth programs
Expand the service hours and areas of public transportation

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