Numbers, Facts and Trends Shaping Your World
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6. Police views, public views
Do Americans understand the challenges police face? Public says yes, police say no
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- 6. Police views, public views
- Police more likely than public to say that no more changes are needed to give blacks equal rights with whites
- Younger police and younger adults more likely to favor legalization of marijuana
- A majority of police, public favor relaxing marijuana laws
- Majority of police and a larger share of the public favor body cameras
- Police, public disagree about accountability as a protest motive
- Many blacks and whites say anti-police bias is a protest motive
- Most officers, public agree anti-police bias is a motive for protests
- Large racial differences on perceptions of deadly black-police encounters among police, the public
- Majority of police say fatal police-black encounters are isolated incidents; majority of the public says the encounters point to a bigger problem
- Officers more worried about their personal safety on the job
- Do Americans understand the challenges police face? Public says yes, police say no
- Americans who see local police as enforcers less likely to want a greater police presence
- Among blacks, police and public have different views of role of police
- Protectors or enforcers? Majority of officers, half of public say police are both
- Police, public differ on perceptions of deadly black-police encounters
- Officers say policing is harder now, public views it as more dangerous
- Police more supportive of gun rights than public
- Public sees more benefits than police from use of body cameras
- Police work: More frustrating, less fulfilling than most other jobs
- Majority of public wants no change in size of force; officers say more police needed
- Police, public divided by race over whether attaining equality requires more challenges
- Police, public agree on a range of new gun control measures, disagree on assault weapons ban
- White officers less likely than other groups to say accountability is a motive