It’s a simple equation: the more cops patrolling a given community, the less crime that community experiences.

A 2021 study found that a 10 percent decrease in police presence results in a seven percent increase in crime. Adding a single police officer to a city can prevent anywhere from 0.06 to 0.1 homicides, meaning that as few as ten extra cops can save a life that would otherwise be cut short.

Training programs focusing on de-escalation and stress recognition lead to fewer use-of-force incidents, officer injuries, and citizen complaints––improving community safety and interactions between officers and citizens.

In a 2020 study by the Police Executive Research Forum, 71% of surveyed police agencies allocated less than 5% of their budget to recruit training.

According to a 2021 survey by the Police Executive Research Forum, police departments saw more officers resigning (up 18%) and retiring (up 45%) compared to the prior year.

The reasons included officers moving into a completely different field, a negative public image of law enforcement, and exhaustion from the pandemic.

There are significant differences in how U.S. police are trained compared to other countries.

Transforming Police Recruit Training: 40 Guiding Principles points out that training standards in the U.S. are outdated and inconsistent across 18,000+ police agencies, training focuses too much on weapons and tactics and not enough on decision-making, mental health, critical thinking skills, and communication.

In the U.S., basic police training lasts only about 20-22 weeks. In contrast, Japan offers 15-21 months of training, Germany provides 2.5 years, and Finland requires three years of police education.

It's essential that we prioritize extensive and rigorous training for our police force.