Around 86 percent of police officers say their jobs are harder now after the high-profile fatal encounters between cops and black citizens dominating the news over the last few years, according to a new Pew Research Center national survey by the National Police Research Platform.
Substantial numbers of white, black and Hispanic officers bemoaned the difficulties of their jobs after these incidents. Close to three quarters say they have negatively affected the relationships between law enforcement and the black community.
Despite this, 96 percent say they are strongly committed to contributing to the success of their force.
However, 86 percent say their force does not have enough officers to adequately ensure safety.
The Pew survey is one of the largest ever conducted: close to 8,000 officers from departments with 100 or more officers were surveyed.
Officers say their jobs are riskier and that that tensions between police and blacks has had the unfortunate effect of making some officers reluctant to perform certain duties. About 72 percent say officers in their department now hesitate to stop and question suspicious characters. Close to 67 percent say the highly publicized fatal encounters between police and blacks are isolated incidents, not trends.
Faith in top management is low, however. Only 3 in 10 say police brass are very much making progress.
About 93 percent say their fellow officers are now more uneasy about their personal safety.
Almost all officers, around 92 percent, believe that bias against law enforcement is at least partly at the root of anti-police protests across the country.
However, race divides cops on this issue within departments. About 69 percent of black officers say the protests were sincere and meant to hold police accountable, while only 27 percent of whites say the same.
Despite their commitment to their duties, around 75 percent of police say they have been verbally abused by a member of their community. White and Hispanic officers are more likely than blacks to be insulted.
