MPPS Policy Brief: More Michigan communities using policies to improve police-community relations
This policy brief presents the views of local government leaders from around the state, who were asked about policies and practices associated with police-community relations on both the Fall 2015 and Spring 2024 waves of the Michigan Public Policy Survey (MPPS).
The MPPS findings reveal considerable increases in the adoption of several key policies over the nine-year period. Statewide, the reported use of law enforcement training in de-escalation techniques, cultural understanding, and/or bias awareness has more than doubled from approximately a quarter of jurisdictions (26%) in 2015 to over half (57%) in 2024. Similarly, the reported use of policies that mandate independent investigations into officer-involved injuries or deaths has more than doubled, from 23% to 49% of jurisdictions. Reported use of community policing (i.e., assigning officers to particular areas to build partnerships with residents) and policies for recruiting or retaining a law enforcement workforce that reflects the demographics of the community have also increased substantially since 2015.
Key findings
- Statewide, there has been a considerable increase in reports of the local adoption of various policing policies targeting police-community relations over the past nine years.
- Use of law enforcement training in de-escalation techniques, cultural understanding, and/or bias awareness has more than doubled from approximately a quarter of local communities (26%) reporting it in 2015 to over half (57%) in 2024.
- Policies that mandate independent investigations into officer-involved injuries or deaths have more than doubled, from 23% to 49%.
- Reported use of community policing and policies for recruiting or retaining a law enforcement workforce that reflects the demographics of the community have also increased substantially since 2015.
- However, there has been less movement to proactively make policing policies available for public review or to create civilian oversight boards that advise law enforcement agencies.
- Two police-community relations policies in particular may be associated with local officials’ higher assessments of trust in law enforcement officers among their residents: de-escalation and bias awareness training and community policing.
- When it comes to assessments of police-community relations, sheriffs and police chiefs are more likely to “strongly” agree that their community residents trust local law enforcement (70%), compared with 46% of local government leaders and 26% of elected county prosecutors. Similarly, 92% of law enforcement agency leaders “strongly” agree that local officers treat all people professionally, compared to 67% of local government officials and 57% of county prosecutors.