Officers say fatal encounters between police and blacks have made policing harder
An overwhelming majority of police officers (86%) said in 2016 that high-profile fatal encounters between black people and police officers had made their jobs harder. Sizable majorities also said such incidents had made their colleagues more worried about safety (93%), heightened tensions between police and blacks (75%), and left many officers reluctant to use force when appropriate (76%) or to question people who seemed suspicious (72%).
Officers say fatal  | encounters between  | police and blacks have  | made policing harder  | % ofofficers saying hhigh-  | profile incidents between  | police and blacks have made  | 12% No difference  | No answer  | 86%  | Their job  | harder  | Note: Less than 0.5% said these incidents  | have made their job easier.  | % ofofficers saying each has  | happened in their department  | as a result of high- profile  | incidents involving blacks and  | the police  | Officers concerned have about become their more safety 93%  | concerned about their safety  | Officers have been more  | 76  | reluctant to use force when  | it is appropriate  | Interactions between  | 75  | police and blacks have  | become more tense  | Officers have become less  | 72  | willing to stop and question  | people who seem suspicious  | Source: Survey of law enforcement  | officers conducted May 19. Aug 14,  | 2016.  | Behind the Badge"  | PEW RESEARCH CENTER 