American Police Officers Alliance Conducts National Poll, We Ask America

ARLINGTON, Virginia – American Police Officers Alliance is an Arlington, VA based grassroots political nonprofit that organizes and activates voters, participates in key issues like referendums and legislative advocacy, and helps elect local leaders who understand, advocate for, and support the needs of law enforcement. Various activities of the group have included conducting poll research, advocating for police officer safety equipment, and providing support to political candidates who are supportive of police.

American Police Officers Alliance conducted a Brushfire Poll earlier this year to gain better insight into how registered voters feel about a variety of law enforcement issues, including how different levels of government handle law enforcement, general public trust in police officers, and how law enforcement issues affect their vote. To conduct this poll, American Police Officers Alliance utilized landlines to contact registered voters in the contiguous United States and weighted answers based on region, age, gender, ethnicity, and political affiliation.

The findings from the poll were very interesting and carry valuable insight into the current perceptions of government, law enforcement, and trust. The poll found that there is still a high level of trust in local police officers, and that people trust their local government more than state or federal levels to handle law enforcement issues properly. Respondents trusted Congress the least, with only a 31% approval rating.

While the highest amount of trust was with their governments, only 1/3 of respondents believed that elected officials are currently doing enough to support our police officers in terms of providing safety equipment, protections from wrongful suspensions, and other issues affecting morale.

What American Police Officers Alliance found most important from this poll was that 90% of respondents planned to vote in the 2018 midterm elections, and almost half said the issue of crime will affect how they choose to vote. The issue of safety, law enforcement, and local crime are important to voters and can sway how citizens choose to vote this year. American Police Officers Alliance will continue to advocate for law enforcement in the political process during this important time and hope that the voters will provide a unified voice for police officers this election year.