With the responsibilities community policing places on police officers, job satisfaction is a critical issue. If police officers are satisfied with their jobs, they perform better and are able to support the police mission. In this regard, employee surveys can provide valuable information on problems, management's desire to listen, internal attitudes, communication, work performance, training needs, and employee ideas. Being responsive to employee needs is an important objective of the Portland, Oregon, community policing plan. The Office of the Police Chief is responsible for carrying out this objective. Portland police department employees are surveyed every 18 months as to police department activities and their ratings of job and work environment issues. Results of a recent survey indicated employees generally believed both traditional and enhanced policing activities were important and they felt good about their work and had good working relationships with their co-workers. The survey identified areas requiring action or improvement. The authors conclude that employee surveys provide valuable feedback on the work environment and employee morale-- feedback that can be used to guide the direction of community policing. 3 endnotes