RALEIGH, N.C. – Sadness and frustration are turning into calls for action as anger over the distrust in law enforcement grows among many in our state and nation, particularly in the minority communities.

"Stuff like that has been going on ,  it just wasn't videotaped," says Tonya Stephens Pulley, Kyron Hinton's cousin.

Hinton is a Raleigh man who was suffering from a mental episode when police confronted him. On camera, a police dog attacked him.

"I wish he had someone there, you know, just to be able to de-escalate and not heighten the situation and not just be so violent," says Shannon Utley, the mother of Hinton's child.

Hinton died from a separate incident less than a year later, and now his loved ones are left to speak for him. They say their view of law enforcement has forever changed.

Diana Powell, Hinton's mentor, says she would have an immediate response if ever pulled over by police.

"Fear. Absolute fear. Even if I haven't done anything wrong, I would still have that level of fear. I don't know how this thing is going to end," Powell says.

"We're tired of puppet shows. We're tired of PR moves. We're tired of photo-ops. We're tired," says Meko McCarthy, a Charlotte-area mom whose son was killed after being tasered by CMPD in 2011.

"He was murdered. It just is what it is," McCarthy says. "He was murdered. Period."

Nearly a decade after his death, the hurt and anger she feels toward law enforcement remain.

"They come out to situations, and they make the situations worse sometimes," McCarthy says. "Because they are amped up, their adrenaline. It's almost like they wake up, they get in their car, and look for some action."

According to statistics released by Statistica, as of June 30, over 500 civilians had been shot by police, 105 of which were Black. That's about one-fifth, but African Americans make up about 13 percent of our population. The rate of fatal police shootings is also the highest among the black community, 31 per million as of the end of June.

Statistics and stories like those are why many are asking for changes when it comes to law enforcement.

"We need the change to see mandated impartial policing, racial equity, and de-escalation training for officers," says Chief David Hess with the Roxboro Police Department. He sits as the chair of the North Carolina Association of Chiefs of Police.

As part of a PSA released by the group, the chiefs say they are making an effort. The national call for "8 Can't Wait Measures" is already widely used in the state.

"In North Carolina, nearly every police agency already has these policies. Agencies accredited through Calea or the League of Municipalities risk management are required to have these policies," says Chief Jeff Smythe with the Burlington Police Department.

But this is about more than just policy changes for many. Now there are calls to defund or radically change how money is distributed to police departments. This means local elected leaders also have to take notice of these trust issues. In the state's capital city, one step in this effort includes a new police advisory board.

"I feel a lot of division in our city," says Raleigh councilman Jonathan Melton. "And we have to find a way to hear each other and to heal and to move forward, and whatever we can do to provide more transparency in the process, I am interested in moving that needle forward."

Families hurting say police are needed, but if the trust is to be regained then changes have to happen.

"I believe that the timing is right. If there is ever going to be a change that is positive, it is now," Powell says.

This is part of an effort by Spectrum News 1 to continue the conversation about issues that are being raised across the state and country right now dealing with the issues of systemic racism.