BRUTALITY BLOWBACK

Poll Shows Confidence in Cops at All-Time Low After Tyre Nichols Beating

Just 39 percent of Americans polled believed police were “adequately trained to avoid the use of excessive force.”

Americans are less confident in their police officers than ever before, according to a new Washington Post-ABC News poll. As of Feb 1, just 39 percent of survey respondents believed police were “adequately trained to avoid the use of excessive force,” a significant drop from the 47 percent who said the same in July 2020 after the police murder of George Floyd. The drop appeared to be fueled by white and Hispanic Americans, with less than half of white respondents expressing faith in the police’s ability to avoid excessive force and racial discrimination for the first time. Among Republicans, confidence has hit a new low of 60 percent, down from 77 percent in 2020. The renewed spotlight on police brutality comes after the fatal beating of Tyre Nichols by five Black police officers in Memphis, which has sparked outrage and protests across the country.