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In 2024 Gallup reported Americans’ confidence in the police increased eight percentage points over the past year to 51%, the largest year-over-year change in public perceptions of 17 major U.S. institutions measured in Gallup’s annual update.
“Americans’ confidence in major U.S. institutions has generally been stable in the past and remains historically low in general, with only three of 17 earning majority-level confidence. Confidence in only one of the institutions — the police — has shown meaningful change in the past year.”
I put together a few figures that hopefully tells the effectiveness of the men and women who work inside the profession of policing and despite the dangerous nature of the job how effective the profession can be at minimizing the loss of life.
393,000,000
It is estimated that there are 393 million personally owned firearms in the United States and untold how many firearms possessed by persons not lawfully allowed to possess a firearm.
346,000,000
Three hundred and forty-six million American citizens estimated to live in the United States.
265,440,600
Two hundred sixty-five million, four hundred and forty thousand, six hundred are over the age of 16
240,000,000
Two hundred and forty million 911 calls were received, according to Vera only 3% of the 911 calls are for situation involving violent crime. 911 centers may dispatch Fire/Rescue, EMS, or Police and dependent on the call all three. 911 reporting of emergencies began in 1968.
238,000,000
238,000,000 million people were licensed to operate a motor vehicle in in 2022.
50,000,000
Fifty million people are estimated to have contact with a policing professional in America each year.
29,000,000
Twenty-nine (29) million of the encounters were when a citizen initiating contact with the police to report a possible crime, reporting a non-crime emergency which they witnessed but were not involved, witnessed a traffic collision but were not involved, interacted with the police at a block party or sought some other type of police assistance.
21,000,000
Twenty (21) million were police-initiated contacts for traffic stops, interacting with the driver and or passengers during the traffic stop. Including street stops where the person contacted was not operating a vehicle and contacts made when called to the scene of a traffic collision.
12,000,000 to 16,000,000
Twelve to sixteen million undocumented immigrants are estimated to be in the United States.
900,000
Nine-hundred thousand men and women in the profession of policing. Many who wear body worn camera’s (BWC) and drive police vehicles with an In-car video recording devices in their patrol vehicles. The policing umbrella in the United States consists of.
· 3,000 sheriff’s offices
· More than 11,000 police departments
· Hundreds of state agencies employing officers, agents, and troopers
· More than 137,000 federal law officers and agents and numerous tribal officers.
The policing profession much like its counterparts in the Fire and EMS service are paid to be available 24 hour a day and never closes for holidays.
The police profession is unique in that it patrols the communities and attempts to prevent crime by conducting the patrols. Police officers and deputies are driving the streets of their communities when 911 calls are made. Regularly placing them at the scene of fires and medical emergencies first.
1,769
Researchers at the Johns Hopkins Center for Gun Violence Solutions and Vanderbilt University found that an average of 1,769 people were injured annually in police shootings from 2015 to 2020.
979
On average 979 people will not survive a police shooting when shot by the police.
822 were reported as armed with a firearm or other weapon, such as a knife or vehicle, when shot by the police.
Police responses initiated by a call to emergency dispatchers were 46 percent more likely to end with a fatal shooting injury than incidents where an officer was already on scene. Calls to police to check on the well-being of individuals were 74 percent more likely to be associated with fatal injury than police responses to an incident where shots had already been fired. This includes wellness checks that did not explicitly involve threats or harm before an encounter with police
>10
Less than ten police officers are charged with a crime for a police involved death each year. Charging someone with a crime is an allegation made by a prosecutor. A significantly smaller percentage are found guilty by a jury each year.
Ronald Hampton is a Commander with the Oklahoma Highway Patrol. You can follow him here.
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Source: www.lawofficer.com