# Views on policing and public force Canonical page: https://data.verasight.io/politics/adults-views-on-policing-and-public-force/ Published: 2026-05-06 > Featured topic in Politics. Roughly 48% supported removing officers with repeated excessive-force complaints, while 19% said they or someone in their family had experienced violent police force. ## Overview: Policing and force Adults showed the strongest support for targeted officer-removal policies. Roughly 48% selected removing officers with repeated excessive-force complaints, and 40% selected removing officers with extremist or paramilitary ties. Direct reported exposure was less common. About 19% said they or someone in their family had experienced violent police force, while 81% said they had not. ## Targeted accountability proposals led the policing list Roughly 48% of adults supported removing officers with multiple previous excessive-use-of-force complaints. About 40% supported removing officers with ties to extremist or paramilitary groups. Those were the two strongest policing proposals in the list. They were also more selected than "none of the above," which was chosen by 33%. ## Reallocating police funds drew less support Support was lower for reallocating police funds. About 23% selected community social services, 19% selected trauma centers, and 18% selected minority communities. Dissolving police unions was selected by about 10%, the lowest selected policing proposal in the set. ## Most adults did not report direct family exposure About 19% of adults said they or someone in their family had been the victim of violent police force. Roughly 81% said they had not. The broader public-force pattern also included majority support for prohibiting private profit from military weapons manufacturing and sales. Roughly 64% said yes, while 36% said no. ## Supporting evidence ### 48% supported removing officers with repeated excessive-force complaints. Question: Which, if any, of the following proposals to address policing do you support? Select all that apply Note: Anchors the topic in support for policing reform proposals. Topline: - Betting police departments to remove officers with multiple previous excessive use of force complains: 47.9% - Betting police departments to remove officers with ties to extremist or paramilitary groups: 39.5% - None of the above: 33.0% - Reallocating funds from police departments to invest in community social services: 23.4% - Reallocating funds from police departments to funding trauma centers: 18.5% ### 19% reported personal or family exposure to violent police force. Question: Have you or someone in your family ever been the victim of violent use of force by police? Note: Adds reported personal or family exposure to violent police force. Topline: - No: 80.7% - Yes: 19.3% ### 64% would prohibit private profit from military weapons. Question: Should the manufacture and sale of military weapons for private profit be prohibited? Note: Adds a broader public-force and weapons-policy attitude. Topline: - Yes: 63.9% - No: 36.1% ## Methodology - Mode: Verasight panel recruited via random address-based sampling, random person-to-person text messaging, and dynamic online targeting - Population: US adults age 18+ - Field dates: 2022-05-28 → 2022-06-01 - Base (unweighted): 1,163 - Margin of error: +/- 3.0% - Module: 2022 Verasight National AAPOR Omnibus Survey - Sponsor: Verasight - Weight variable: weight - Weighting targets: age, race/ethnicity, sex, income, education, region, metropolitan status ## Sources - [Which, if any, of the following proposals to address policing do you support? Select all that apply](https://aapor-omnibus-2022.verasight.io#support-of-proposals-to-address-policing): aapor-omnibus-2022.verasight.io: Anchors the topic in support for policing reform proposals. - [Have you or someone in your family ever been the victim of violent use of force by police?](https://aapor-omnibus-2022.verasight.io#victim-of-violent-use-of-force-by-police): aapor-omnibus-2022.verasight.io: Adds reported personal or family exposure to violent police force. - [Should the manufacture and sale of military weapons for private profit be prohibited?](https://aapor-omnibus-2022.verasight.io#manufacture-and-sale-of-military-weapons): aapor-omnibus-2022.verasight.io: Adds a broader public-force and weapons-policy attitude. ## Citation 2022 Verasight National AAPOR Omnibus Survey, fielded May 28-June 1, 2022, N=1,163 US adults age 18+, +/- 3.0%. Canonical question URL: [https://aapor-omnibus-2022.verasight.io#support-of-proposals-to-address-policing](https://aapor-omnibus-2022.verasight.io#support-of-proposals-to-address-policing)