Do Americans understand the challenges police face on the job?

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January 6, 2017

Behind the Badge

Do Americans understand the challenges police face on the job?

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Do Americans understand the challenges police face on the job?

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Behind the Badge
Some officers say tough, aggressive tactics are needed with some people and in some neighborhoods
Most officers say protests mainly motivated by bias toward police
Most white, Latino officers say fatal encounters between blacks and police are isolated incidents; majority of black officers disagree
Impact of fatal incidents involving blacks felt more by large departments than by small agencies
Roughly two-thirds of officers say they favor the use of body cameras
About half say disciplinary process in their department is fair
Majority of full-time officers are in agencies with at least 100 officers
White officers more likely than black officers to have had a physical altercation with a suspect
The dual nature of police work: For officers, emotions and experiences are often in conflict
Police, public divided by race over whether attaining equality requires more changes
Majority of police say fatal police-black encounters are isolated incidents; majority of the public says they point to a bigger problem
Officers say fatal encounters between police and blacks have made policing harder

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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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