File photo, LawOfficer.com
A new research report based upon a survey of almost 8,000 police officers indicates that the majority worry about their safety—are reluctant stop and question suspicious persons—and believe “high-profile” deadly-force incidents, such as the one in Ferguson, Missouri, have made police work harder.
The report, titled “Behind the Badge,” was published by the Pew Research Center on January 11, 2017. It is based upon a survey by the National Police Research Platform. It is one of the largest ever conducted, and involved a nation-wide sample of thousands of male and female law enforcement professionals from departments with at least 100 officers.
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Key Findings of the Survey
As reported by the New York Post and other sources, key findings of the survey indicate:
- 93%—of police officers are more concerned about safety [this was recorded before the attacks on police officers in Dallas and Baton Rouge]
- 86%—believe “fatal encounters between blacks and police have made policing more difficult”
- 76%—are more reluctant to use force when appropriate
- 75%—said interactions between police and blacks have become more tense
- 72%—said they or their colleagues are more reluctant to stop and question people who seem suspicious, which seems to be part of a broader reluctance to perform certain police duties.
The findings also reveal that 68% of police officers said that protests and demonstrations are greatly motivated by anti-police bias. Only 10% said that protestors are genuinely motivated to improve police accountability.
Police & The Public: A Significant Difference of Opinion
Yet perhaps the most significant contrast between public opinion and the opinions of participating officers is this: two-thirds of the officers perceive that the fatal police shootings that prompted demonstrations are isolated incidents—but quite oppositely, 60% of American adults believe these same incidents “are symptoms of a deeper problem” according to a separate Pew Research Center survey.
Fewer Black Officers Describe Relations With Black Citizens As “Good”
The survey also reveals significant differences among officers according to race. For example, 60% of white and Hispanic officers said police relations with blacks are “good” or “excellent.”
However, the survey indicates that most black officers think otherwise: only 32% of black officers reported that police relations with black are “good” or “excellent.”
Overall, Use-of-Force Policies Are “About Right”
The survey also indicates that 73% of the police officers who took part in the survey believe the use-of-force policies of their department are “about right.”
About 26% said their department’s policies regarding use of force were “too restrictive.”
And only 1% said that their department’s use-of-force guidelines were “not restrictive enough.”
Read more about the findings of the Pew Research Center national survey…
Download a PDF of the research report…
