Police officers across our state walk out of their homes every day knowing full well the difficult situations and challenges that may lie ahead as they go about their work. They do not go into this business for the glamour, for the money or whatever some may think. If you ask any cadet graduating from our law enforcement academies, they will tell you that they go into this profession to serve the public and to make their community a better place to live.
It seems that recently, one has not been able to turn on the evening news or open a newspaper without hearing a negative story about police around the country. We asked ourselves “do Minnesotans still trust and have confidence in their local police officers and departments here in Minnesota?”
Earlier this week, the Minnesota Police and Peace Officers Association released the results of a statewide study that was conducted in our state–the poll was scientific in nature and the demographics of those polled were congruent with the population of Minnesota’s make up. We found an overwhelming amount of support from our state’s residents. Furthermore, the survey results demonstrate that recent nationwide events have had a negligible impact on public opinion of “their” local police in Minnesota.
A staggering 90 percent of those in Minnesota approve of the way their “local police force handles its job.” A full 86 percent of those surveyed say they have had mostly positive “personal interactions with the local police in [their] area.”
Eighty-five percent of Minnesotans say they trust “local law enforcement officers to use good judgment in their use of deadly force.” Those living in suburban areas have the most trust at 91 percent, followed by rural at 85 percent, and those living in the urban areas report trust at 77 percent.
We believe this positive report card is due in part, by the fact that for many decades, Minnesota has set high standards for those becoming police officers and are required to maintain the highest level of ongoing training and education. This includes the creation of the POST Board (Peace Officers Standards and Training Board) to ensure that all peace officers in Minnesota meet required standards and a minimum academic level no matter if they are serving in a small rural area or a large city.
As a state, we have placed a tremendously high value on the education and training of our officers and believe that it has paid high dividends in the caliber of police officers serving. Today, we see other states using Minnesota as a model as they work to attain what our profession has achieved in Minnesota.
Additionally, the outcomes of the survey underscore the importance of the emphasis police departments and individual officers from all areas of the state have placed on true community policing. While we always have room for improvement, especially in urban and minority communities, we are proud of the results of this survey and as a profession, we will continue to look for new ways to strive for excellence. We have example after example of police officers taking a very personal role in the communities. On their own time, they volunteer with youth, with seniors, with the poor and with the disabled. Our police officers in Minnesota care. Their duties go beyond their job descriptions; they have become a stitch in the fabric of the community and the public has noticed. It is refreshing for our police officers to know that their commitment to service and their hard work resonates across virtually every community in our state. We all should be happy with that outcome.
Dennis J. Flaherty
Executive Director of the
Minnesota Police and Peace
Officers Association
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