Most officers say their department has too few officers to police the community

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January 6, 2017

2. Inside America’s police departments

Most officers say their department has too few officers to police the community

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Most officers say their department has too few officers to police the community

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2. Inside America’s police departments
About four-in-ten officers say they are formally or informally expected to meet a certain number of arrests or tickets
Most officers favor a requirement to intervene when another officer is about to use unnecessary force
More police worry their fellow officers will not act quickly enough than worry they will act too quickly
About a third of officers say, when put to the test, use-of-force guidelines in their department are very useful
Officers in larger agencies less likely to say their department has trained and equipped them very well
About four-in-ten officers say their department has done very well in training them adequately for their job
For minor mistakes, more officers today agree coaching is used vs. punishment
For assignments and promotions, about four-in-ten female officers say men are treated better than women
In 2013, racial and ethnic minorities accounted for about a quarter of the police force and women made up about one-in-eight police officers
About half of black officers say whites are treated better than minorities in assignments and promotions
About half of officers say they are hardly ever or never asked for input about decisions that will affect them
Most officers say they are treated with respect by their supervisor
Police offer mixed support for their agency’s top leadership
Officers in smaller agencies more likely to agree that their agency’s disciplinary process is fair
A majority of officers are satisfied with their agency as a place to work

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ABOUT PEW RESEARCH CENTER Pew Research Center is a nonpartisan fact tank that informs the public about the issues, attitudes and trends shaping the world. It conducts public opinion polling, demographic research, media content analysis and other empirical social science research. Pew Research Center does not take policy positions. It is a subsidiary of The Pew Charitable Trusts.

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