Report: Most Americans trust the police, but many want cops to have more training

A new survey offers some key insights into the court of public opinion

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By Suzie Ziegler

DENVER — A survey of 3,000 U.S. citizens has found that most Americans don’t support defunding the police and nearly half want police to have more training, according to Veritone, Inc, an AI software company.

Veritone released its findings Tuesday with its first-ever Transparency and Trust Report. The project focused on measuring the relationship between police agencies and the communities they serve, as well as broader public opinion on policing.

Here are some of the key takeaways, according to the report:

  • 3 out of 4 Americans say police help them feel safe in their communities

  • 67% of respondents said law enforcement agencies are widely trusted by their communities

  • 44% of respondents want police to increase funding for unconscious bias training

  • 1 in 5 people support defunding the police

  • 42% percent of respondents felt a lack of transparency has hurt their perception of law enforcement

The report also heard from officers themselves, 62% of which indicated that being a local officer has become more difficult over the past five years.

Download the full report here.

NEXT: What cops want in 2021: 4,000 officers speak up about police reform and more

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