“To Protect and Serve ALL”

S.O.P.S. (Survey of Police Service) for COPS

TASA ID: 1646

Please note: “Police” and “Law Enforcement Officer” are used interchangeably. The following questions are designed to help and enable law enforcement officers to mentally walk in the shoes of every citizen they serve. Thinking like, and feeling for, every community citizen served by law enforcement officers, are the most humanistic and humane ways to protect and serve all. Law Enforcement Officers are invited to take this 121-item survey themselves as an invaluable, progressive forward step toward thinking like the community they are sworn to serve.

1.  Did the police officer smile and introduce himself or herself, to make you feel at ease?

2.  Did the police officer refer to you by your name after s/he requested your driver's license, vehicle registration, and proof of insurance?

3.  Were the police officer's hands occupied by reading your license and vehicle registration, or positioning himself with his hand on his gun holster?

4.  Did you feel fear when the officer was talking to you, or did you feel at ease? Did you have any questions to ask the officer and did s/he answer them?

5.  Were the officer's answers to your question(s) polite and proper, or did s/he angrily, loudly, or nervously answer your question(s)?

6.  At any time did the officer over-talk you and tell you to "shut up!"?

7.  Was the officer polite and courteous during the entire time you were detained?"

8.  If you were a police officer or sheriff deputy, what would you do differently than what the officer did when s/he stopped you?

9.  Was the officer's body-camera ("body-cam") on during the entire time s/he detained you, or could you tell whether it was on or not?

10. What is your race or ethnicity, and do you think the way you were treated was because of your race and ethnicity?

11. Was your stop by the police officer due to something, in your opinion, that would have been cleared up politely if you had been allowed to speak?

12. Did you disagree with something the officer said, and were you allowed to explain why?

13. Did you feel comfortable when the officer talked and when you answered? 

14. Did the officer make physical (non-verbal) or verbal (non-physical) threats to you?

15. Did the officer make physical and verbal threats to you?

16. Do you know the difference between an order and a threat?

17. Do you have problems taking orders from someone else, such as your spouse, your boss, or a judge?

18. Are you comfortable when a police officer or sheriff deputy gives you an order?

19. What can you do to make an encounter with a police officer a peaceful and polite "win-win" for you and the police officer?

20. Were you allowed uninterrupted speech, or were you constantly cut off when you tried to explain something?

21. Did you allow the officer to explain why s/he detained you, or did you try to convince them you had done nothing wrong?

22. Do you understand that being detained by a police officer or sheriff deputy does not necessarily mean you are guilty of wrongdoing?

23. Is there more that the officer could have told you but did not, leaving you confused?

24. Do you think such public surveys, when used by the police and sheriff department can serve as educational tools to helpfully and healthfully correct many of the critical and vital problems that have, for many years, defined the poor relationship between law enforcement and the communities it is sworn to serve?

25. Would you be willing to serve on a City Hall community panel, with other people, recruited to explain to law enforcement officers how their behavior was, and how it should have been, when they detained you?

26. Do you think your being detained by a law enforcement officer might help a law enforcement department if they listened to your views and opinions on your having been detained?

27. Do you think that interaction--such as being stopped or detained--with a law enforcement officer could actually become more peaceful than it has been?

28. Are you a member of a law enforcement agency, in any capacity?

29. Do you have friends or relatives who work for law enforcement agencies? Have you ever been arrested?

30. Do you think your prior arrest formed your present opinion of law enforcement officers?

31. Have you ever been struck or injured by a law enforcement officer?

32. Do you feel safe and comfortable with your community’s law enforcement agency?

33. Do you feel threatened and uncomfortable with your community’s law enforcement agency?

34. Do you feel good or do you feel bad about the criminals in your community?

35. Do you feel good or do you feel bad about the law enforcement officers in your community?

36. Do you attend meetings presented by your local law enforcement agency?

37. How often do you call the police when you need help?

38. How often do you call the police to report a criminal act?

39. Have you ever been visited by law enforcement officers to warn you of impending danger?

40. Have you ever been visited by law enforcement officers to ask you for information about a criminal suspect?

41. Do you vote “yes” for financial increases to law enforcement’s budget?

42. Do you vote no for increases to law enforcement’s budget?

43. Do you know what the term “warrior cop” means?

44. Has your personal experience with law enforcement officers been more friendly than hostile?

45. Had your personal experience with law enforcement officers been more hostile than friendly?

46. Have you ever helped a law enforcement officer requesting information?

47. Have you ever helped an injured law enforcement officer?

48. Have you ever visited your local law enforcement agency to report a crime?

49. Have you ever attended police or sheriff-sponsored community events (e.g., the Altadena Sheriff Department sponsored a Saturday breakfast; and the Norwalk Sheriff Department continues their famed pancake breakfast).

50. In your opinion, do the law enforcement officers who patrol your community represent more harm, danger and risk than they provide to you, in terms of protection, safety and security?

51. How often do investigations or news reports occur, that disclose your law enforcement department’s injuries, brutalities and homicides to community citizens?

52. How comfortable are you, and how safe do you feel, in the same community as your law enforcement department and its officers?

53. How often do your law enforcement officers demonstrate anger and disrespect to you, personally?

54. How often do your law enforcement officers demonstrate concern, friendliness and respect to you, personally?

55. Would you like to share your views about respect and kindness so that law enforcement officers know what you, a community citizen, expect, with respect to humane standards?

56. How frequently have you been yelled at, cursed at, or treated with disrespect, fear or hostility by law enforcement officers?

57. How frequently do law enforcement officers speak to you in a polite, friendly and civil manner?

58. In your opinion, are your law enforcement officers more dangerous than protective?

59. Do you ever become anxious and fearful when stopped by a law enforcement officer?

60. How comfortable are you with your community’s law enforcement officers?

61. How uncomfortable are you with your community’s law enforcement officers?

62. How often do your law enforcement officers show you fairness and respect?

63. How often do your law enforcement officers show you disrespect and hostility?

64. How frequently do law enforcement officers address you in a polite, civil manner?

65. In your opinion, do all the law enforcement officers in your community act threateningly, hostilely, and angrily?

66. How frequently have you been forcefully handled by law enforcement officers?

67. Do you think the law enforcement officers should have used non-touch, non-threatening, and non-hostile communication with you?

68. How often do you think about your community’s law enforcement officers and your desire that they be polite, respectful, and non-hostile?

69. How often do you think about, in a positive and appreciative way, the law enforcement officers in your community?

70. How often do you express, to news media or via surveys, your positive feelings about your community’s law enforcement officers?

71. How often do you express, to news media or via surveys, your negative feelings about your community’s law enforcement officers?

72. How often do you talk positively about law enforcement officers to members of your family?

73. How often do you talk negatively about law enforcement officers to members of your family?

74. How often do you talk to your law enforcement department’s chief and captains about negative, inhumane, or racist behaviors of their officers?

75. How often do you talk positively to your law enforcement department’s chief and captains about the respectful, friendly, and caring behaviors of their officers?

76. How often do you seek out newspaper or TV media, or are interviewed by them, to discuss your concerns regarding your community’s law enforcement department?

77. How often do you appeal to your State Attorney (Attorney General) about your concerns regarding your community’s law enforcement agency’s hostile, disrespectful, or racist behaviors?

78. How often have you given negative survey ratings or reports about your law enforcement department?

79. How frequently would you give positive ratings when surveyed about your law enforcement department’s interaction with your community?

80. Do you think racism or racial prejudice exist in your law enforcement department?

81. Do you think your law enforcement department dislikes, distrusts, or hates the community it serves?

82. Do you think your law enforcement department should be investigated because of its documented, consistently harmful, and inhumane enforcement actions?

83. Do you think your police department should be given awards for its community interactions?

84. Are you hopeful and optimistic that your police department will change for the better?

85. Are you convinced that your law enforcement department’s behavior will only worsen?

86. Have you observed or personally experienced negative interactions of your law enforcement department?

87. Have you observed or personally experienced positive interactions of your law enforcement department?

88. Do the negative practices of your law enforcement department outweigh or exceed its positive practices?

89. Do the positive practices of your law enforcement department outweigh or exceed its negative practices?

90. Do you feel SAFE with your current law enforcement department?

91. Do you feel FEARFUL of your law enforcement department?

92. Are you more frightened of the OFFICERS in your community than you are of the criminals in your community?

93. Are you more frightened of the CRIMINALS in your community than you are of the officers?

94. How effective are the churches, courts, social workers, media, and others in educating your law enforcement officers about their harmful interactions and negative community practices?

95. Do you think your community’s law enforcement officers treat non-Black persons in your community better and more respectfully than they treat Black persons?

96. Are you aware of Black persons who deliberately and frequently engage in criminal behaviors that require police intervention?

97. Do you know of cases where non-Black persons were treated, by law enforcement officers, better and more carefully than were Black persons?

98. Is there frequently a negative or unhealthy “charge” in the environment felt after police in your community mistreat, hurt or harm Black persons?

99.  Do you find yourself in long-term states of anxiety and worry about police misbehavior and bodily harm done to Black persons?

100. How often do you seek counseling or professional advice when you become anxiety- and worry-ridden about law enforcement behavior?

101. Does your law enforcement department have weekly or monthly public meetings where you can learn, as well as talk and share your viewpoints?

102. Are public information meetings, conducted by your law enforcement department, open, informative, and helpful?

103. Is your community’s health and welfare better because of the activities of your law enforcement department?

104. Is your community’s health and welfare worse because of the activities of your law enforcement department?

105. Would your community be better if your law enforcement department adopted different, respectful, and humane practices in dealing with Black persons?

106. Would your community be worse if your law enforcement department failed to adopt new, different and humane practices in dealing with Black persons?

107. Does your law enforcement department adopt or employ new practices in interacting with Black persons?

108. Does your law enforcement department use old, negative, and harmful practices in interacting with Black people?

109. Does your Sheriff or police chief ever promise reform and better practices in interactions with Black persons?

110. Do you have or use a spokesperson to represent Black citizens’ concerns that need to be discussed with the law enforcement department?

111. Has a spokesperson for the Black community been successful in appealing to the Sheriff or Chief of Police about concerns regarding a disproportionate number of physical brutalities on Blacks in contrast to non-Blacks?

112. How non-dangerous (no physical brutality or injuries) and peaceful are your law enforcement officers?

113. How threatening, angry, and hostile are your law enforcement officers?

114. Does an active law enforcement presence cause anxiety and stress in you?

115. How frequently have you “walked the beat” with police officers, as part of a Community Policing Program?

116. Do you feel positive about having a “Community Policing Program” in your community?

117. How much time would you have to review and place a “grade” on law enforcement practices in your community, if you were invited to do so?

118. If you were a juror in a police brutality/harmful death court case, how much would evidentiary proof of the police officer’s history of violent behavior influence you?

119. If you were a juror in a brutality/harmful death court case, how much would proof of the law enforcement officer’s history of community involvement, youth soccer- or baseball-coaching, and volunteer participation in school events influence you?

120. Are there law enforcement officers with whom you feel you can talk and openly express your feelings and concerns?

121. How often have you shared your viewpoints and feelings with your law enforcement department?

TASA Article Disclaimer

This article discusses issues of general interest and does not give any specific legal or business advice pertaining to any specific circumstances.  Before acting upon any of its information, you should obtain appropriate advice from a lawyer or other qualified professional.

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