The Perspective of Current Police Officers on Recent Anti-Police Sentiments

Since the Summer of 2020, there has been an increase in distrust and dissatisfaction with policing in America. Several key events of perceived police brutality have caused this dissatisfaction, which has become a focal point among leaders in political discourse and has led to backlash from the community and significant policy proposals. However, while politicians and unions have had a platform to share their opinions, current police officers have not had much of a voice to discuss how their jobs have been affected. This study seeks to identify whether the attitudes of police in Arizona have been adversely affected since the Summer of 2020 and to see how the community’s behavior towards the police has been affected, if both of these things have changed at all. The officers interviewed were split evenly on whether their personal job satisfaction has been affected. Most officers saw an increase in both support and hostility from the community. A majority of officers also reported that their fellow officers have experienced an overall decrease in morale since the Summer of 2020. The last significant takeaway is that the officers were largely pessimistic about the future of policing due to an increase in their fellow officers quitting and a decrease in new recruits.