The Cascade County Sheriff’s Office has recently launched an important new community survey designed to gain a deeper understanding of how residents in Cascade County receive news and their preferred methods for obtaining important updates from their local law enforcement agency. This short survey represents a key component of CCSO’s ongoing commitment to fostering transparency, ensuring accessibility, and enhancing communication with the community it serves.
“Keeping our community informed is one of our most important responsibilities,” stated Sheriff Jesse Slaughter in a press release. “People get their news in many different ways. Whether you watch local TV, scroll through Facebook, follow online news sites, or listen to podcasts on your way to work, your input helps us tailor our communication, so you receive timely, accurate information in the way that’s most useful to you.”
Recent research by the Pew Research Center highlights the need for CCSO to gather this feedback. The study reveals that a significant majority of Americans now depend on digital devices for their news intake.
According to the Pew Research Center study, many adults frequently use Facebook, Twitter, and similar networks to stay updated, while traditional media sources, such as print newspapers and radio broadcasts, continue to hold value, but at reduced levels. By analyzing the results from this local survey, CCSO hopes to understand how the national trends in media consumption reflect the behaviors and preferences of residents in Cascade County.
“With so many options available for sharing information today, we want to make sure we’re using the most effective channels for our community,” Sheriff Slaughter added. “Your responses will help guide how we prioritize communication—whether that’s through Facebook Live updates, press releases, emergency text alerts, community meetings, or other tools that improve public awareness.”
The survey is designed to be concise, anonymous, and will take approximately five minutes to complete. It includes questions that explore the variety of news sources residents engage with. These include popular media such as television, radio, print newspapers, online news websites, podcasts, and various social media platforms. Participants will also have the opportunity to specify which social media channels they find most reliable and how trustworthy they perceive different news sources to be.
The survey encourages participants to share their thoughts on how CCSO can enhance its transparency and communication efforts with the community, offering valuable suggestions for improvement.
The survey will be open for responses starting December 31st and continuing through January 31st. Residents wishing to participate can find the survey on SurveyMonkey at https://bit.ly/ccsonews, on the official Cascade County Sheriff’s Office website at CascadeCountymt.gov/283/Sheriffs-Office, or directly on the Cascade County Sheriff’s Office Facebook page.
By Karen Anderson: December 30, 2025 – Great Falls, Mt
Author: Karen Anderson
Karen is the Editor-in-Chief overseeing all news operations at Foxys Publishing Co. She also loves photography and spending time with her dogs.
