Survey reveals many Winston-Salem residents aren't satisfied with city safety

A new annual survey indicates Winston-Salem residents have mixed feelings about safety in the city. The findings were presented to the city council Tuesday. 

The survey asked residents to rate their satisfaction with city services and share their overall perceptions about several aspects of daily life. 

About 1,000 residents responded. Nearly half said they were unsatisfied with their overall feeling of safety in the city. By comparison, 78% of respondents in the Atlantic region said they were satisfied. Nationwide, that number was 68%. 

Scott Tesh, the city's budget and performance management director, said it wasn't all bad news. 

“Our services are actually ranked higher than those comparison groups," said Tesh. "So it's not necessarily that folks think the police department is doing a bad job or that they have issues with the police department, moreso just the overall perception of safety within the city.”

Nine hundred seventy violent crimes were reported in Winston-Salem from January through April of this year — 83 more than the same period in 2021.