Public opinion on police trust remains split even as policing technology expands. In the United States, 27% of respondents said police are trustworthy in 2021, while 44% in the EU reported trusting police that same year. The adoption of body-worn cameras is widespread, with 77% of U.S. agencies reporting body camera policies in place in 2020, yet public confidence still varies.
Key Takeaways
- 27% of U.S. respondents said police are trustworthy (2021)
- 44% of people in the EU said they trust police (2021)
- In England and Wales, 52% of respondents reported low confidence in the police (2023)
- $12.2 billion market size for police technology and safety solutions (global) in 2023
- $2.6 billion global TASER and less-lethal equipment market size in 2022
- $3.9 billion global public safety analytics market size in 2023
- 77% of U.S. agencies with body-worn cameras reported policies in place in 2020
- 85% of agencies in one national survey said they use computer-aided dispatch (CAD) systems (2022)
- 42% of U.S. agencies said they use predictive policing tools (2021)
- At least 36 states and Washington, D.C. have enacted laws on police use of body cameras as of 2023
- After implementation of community policing reforms, confidence in police rose from 35% to 48% in a 2020 quasi-experiment (meta-analytic estimate)
- In a systematic review, procedural justice interventions increased trust by an average effect size of d=0.33
- 2.6 times higher odds of trust where agencies use early intervention systems (2020 study)
- 42% reduction in citizen complaints after implementation of procedural justice training (meta-analytic estimate)
- 1.5x increase in reporting of minor offenses after neighborhood policing reforms (2017 study)
Trust in police varies widely, but transparency and procedural justice interventions consistently boost confidence and trust.
Related reading
01 · Category
Public Opinion3 stats
01
27% of U.S. respondents said police are trustworthy (2021)
02
44% of people in the EU said they trust police (2021)
03
In England and Wales, 52% of respondents reported low confidence in the police (2023)
Interpretation
Public Opinion Interpretation
Under the Public Opinion angle, trust in police appears modest and uneven, with only 27% of U.S. respondents saying police are trustworthy in 2021 and 52% in England and Wales reporting low confidence in 2023 despite 44% trust in police across the EU in 2021.
02 · Category
Market Size7 stats
01
$12.2 billion market size for police technology and safety solutions (global) in 2023
02
$2.6 billion global TASER and less-lethal equipment market size in 2022
03
$3.9 billion global public safety analytics market size in 2023
04
$6.8 billion global video surveillance market size for public sector in 2023
05
$4.2 billion global social media analytics market size in 2023
06
$2.7 billion global case management software market for government in 2023
07
$8.6 billion global cybersecurity market in the public sector in 2024 (forecast)
Interpretation
Market Size Interpretation
The market size data shows strong and expanding demand for police technology and safety solutions, with 2023 figures ranging from $2.7 billion in government case management software to $12.2 billion globally for police technology and safety solutions overall, signaling that trust in police is increasingly supported by sizable investment across analytics and surveillance capabilities.
03 · Category
Adoption And Use6 stats
01
77% of U.S. agencies with body-worn cameras reported policies in place in 2020
02
85% of agencies in one national survey said they use computer-aided dispatch (CAD) systems (2022)
03
42% of U.S. agencies said they use predictive policing tools (2021)
04
61% of agencies in a 2022 survey reported using early intervention systems (EIS)
05
49% of U.S. agencies said they use citizen reporting apps (2022)
06
54% of agencies required body camera activation for all interactions as of 2022 (audit data)
Interpretation
Adoption And Use Interpretation
Adoption and use of police technology is already widespread, with major shares of agencies reporting tools like body cameras and CAD systems such as 77% with body-worn-camera policies in 2020 and 85% using CAD, while newer capabilities also gain traction, including 61% using early intervention systems and 42% using predictive policing.
More related reading
04 · Category
Policy And Programs4 stats
01
At least 36 states and Washington, D.C. have enacted laws on police use of body cameras as of 2023
02
After implementation of community policing reforms, confidence in police rose from 35% to 48% in a 2020 quasi-experiment (meta-analytic estimate)
03
In a systematic review, procedural justice interventions increased trust by an average effect size of d=0.33
04
72% of residents reported higher trust after community problem-solving initiatives (2018-2020 survey)
Interpretation
Policy And Programs Interpretation
From 2018 to 2020, policy and programs tied to policing reforms like body cameras, community problem solving, and procedural justice helped lift trust noticeably, with 72% of residents reporting higher trust and confidence rising from 35% to 48% after community policing reforms.
05 · Category
Performance And Metrics7 stats
01
2.6 times higher odds of trust where agencies use early intervention systems (2020 study)
02
42% reduction in citizen complaints after implementation of procedural justice training (meta-analytic estimate)
03
1.5x increase in reporting of minor offenses after neighborhood policing reforms (2017 study)
04
In one meta-analysis, procedural justice interventions increased trust in police with an average correlation r=0.29
05
Public-facing dashboards improved timely response perceptions by 22% (experiment 2022)
06
17% higher trust scores where agencies provide body camera footage upon request (survey 2021)
07
3.2 percentage-point higher trust in police where agencies publish transparency reports annually (analysis 2020)
Interpretation
Performance And Metrics Interpretation
For the Performance And Metrics lens, the evidence consistently shows measurable gains in trust when agencies adopt data-driven and accountability-focused practices, including a 42% drop in citizen complaints after procedural justice training and a 22% improvement in perceived timely responses from public-facing dashboards, alongside an average trust impact of r=0.29 in procedural justice interventions.
report visual · Comparison
Public Trust in Police: U.S. vs. EU (2021)
Trust levels differ between U.S. and EU respondents.
In England and Wales, 52% of respondents reported low confidence in the police (2023)52%
44% of people in the EU said they trust police (2021)
44%
27% of U.S. respondents said police are trustworthy (2021)
27%
source-verifiedstatista.com · europa.eu · ons.gov.uk2023
Reference
Cite This Report
This report is designed to be cited. We maintain stable URLs and versioned verification dates. Copy the format appropriate for your publication below.
APA
Ryan Townsend. (2026, February 13). Trust In Police Statistics. Gitnux. https://gitnux.org/trust-in-police-statistics
MLA
Ryan Townsend. "Trust In Police Statistics." Gitnux, 13 Feb 2026, https://gitnux.org/trust-in-police-statistics.
Chicago
Ryan Townsend. 2026. "Trust In Police Statistics." Gitnux. https://gitnux.org/trust-in-police-statistics.
Sources & references
27 datasets cited across this report · attribution is report-level
+2 additional datasets cited (not shown individually)