Opinion: Nashvillians worry about public safety. A new alliance works to support MNPD

A day of joy turned to terror.

A cherished trail sullied by a senseless murder.

From the fatal shooting on Jefferson Street during TSU's homecoming weekend to the killing of Alyssa Lokits on Mill Creek Greenway , recent high-profile crimes have shocked our community and threatened beloved traditions.

Unfortunately, they are not the only incidents that weigh heavily in our minds − from fatal mass shootings at a Nashville church, restaurant and school in recent years to the Christmas Day 2020 bombing downtown.

Crimes such as those, plus a strong desire to support our police department, created a sense of urgency when a group of local business and community leaders came together last year. Our goal was to create an entity, a new initiative, focused on creating a safer Nashville in partnership with the Metropolitan Nashville Police Department.

After months of study and conversation, the founding committee determined that creating an independent nonprofit alliance could best accomplish that goal. The Nashville Police + Public Safety Alliance launched this year to create a safer Nashville.

Alliance has worked with MNPD on youth and leadership development

The Nashville Safety Alliance seeks to reduce crime, invest in proven innovations and best practices, foster partnerships between police and the community, and support MNPD's drive to be the best in the nation.

Some early accomplishments provide examples of our approach.

We partnered with the YMCA of Middle Tennessee and the Police Activities League to pilot a free fall break day camp for about 100 young people, ages 8 to 12, that kept them busy, positively engaged and safe during their time out of school.

We granted the MNPD a leadership development program to help ensure Nashville's best officers are positioned to be strong leaders when promoted.

We have offered to fund a continuous community feedback tool, allowing MNPD to stay informed regarding community issues.

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While we haven't hesitated to get to work, the Nashville Safety Alliance ultimately strives to be data driven. Benchmarking residents' opinions and elevating their voices will help us target initiatives, identify partners, and foster dialogue from a shared, evidence-based foundation.

Poll shows Nashvillians' views on the state of public safety

The Nashville Safety Alliance recently completed a public opinion survey, the first significant step toward this foundational goal. We wanted to know Nashville's thoughts and perceptions about public safety and our police department.

The survey found that most Nashvillians feel safe, regardless of race, gender, or precinct. Residents mostly agree that the city is on the right track and safer than similar-sized cities. However, most residents also said the city is less safe than five years ago, and more than half rated public safety/crime as a very serious issue.

Our community largely favors MNPD. Having a well-regarded police department to work with validates the Nashville Safety Alliance's model of addressing public safety in partnership with the police. According to our research, among residents who interacted with MNPD in the prior year, 90% said they were treated professionally and fairly. This finding was consistent across precincts and population groups. A plurality of residents wants more patrols in their neighborhoods, and hiring more officers was selected as the second-best method of improving overall public safety.

The Nashville Safety Alliance looks forward to analyzing this data with the community to find additional opportunities to make Nashville safer. We invite the community to view our survey results under the "research" tab on our website, TheNashvilleAlliance.org.

Most importantly, we invite all Nashville residents, businesses, and nonprofits to consider measurable ways they can partner with our MNPD to make Nashville safer.

Patricia Glaser Shea is the founder and CEO of the Nashville Police + Public Safety Alliance (nashvillealliance.org) , an independent nonprofit organization that aims to create a safer Nashville.