NORFOLK, Va. — The Norfolk Police Department is reaching out to the community with a quality of life survey.
The department posted an online survey asking people if they feel safe, and what they think about crime in the city.
Police officials said they have worked on this survey for a while. The release follows an uptick in shootings in the city. Just this week, Norfolk police officers have reported three shooting incidents in the city.
The first happened early Monday morning in the NEON District. Police said a man was shot and is expected to recover.
On Tuesday, the police department said officers responded to a shooting scene in the 900 block of E. Virginia Beach Boulevard. The officers found a woman nearby, on the 600 block of W. Brambleton Avenue, who had been shot and killed. A man was also shot but has non-life-threatening injuries.
On Wednesday, investigators said, around 6:30 p.m., someone shot an 18 and 19-year-old woman on Sewells Point Road near Johnstons Road. Both are expected to recover.
“I feel like it’s not anything new to hear about the shootings because it’s been a lot going on,” said Norfolk resident Nicole Riles.
Riles, who works in Downtown Norfolk, believes the increase in violence is concerning.
“I try not to come down here unless I have to work,” Riles said.
Following the uptick in crime, leaders with the Norfolk Police Department are asking the community to speak up. Some who live and work in the area said the survey is a step in the right direction.
“The fact that they are actively seeking to find out what the community thinks, I think that is a good thing,” said Norfolk worker Jerome McPherson.
Several questions are focused on a person's quality of life and safety.
13News Now asked Riles some of the questions in the survey, such as "How safe do you feel when you are outside in your neighborhood during the day, at night?"
“I am a little bit more worried at night, there is a lot more emotion that happens,” Riles said. “During the day, it is not the safest, but it is a little bit better than nighttime.”
She's hopeful people in the community will also help the police create change.
“There is not much more they can do than do their safety precautions,” Riles said. “It’s up to everybody else.”
A spokesperson for the Norfolk Police Department said this new survey will help city leaders decide how to designate grant funds in a way that will make a positive impact on the issues identified by community members.