August 5, 2020
Gallup: 61% of Blacks Want Police to Maintain Community Presence, 20% Want More Time-Presence
by Michael W. Chapman
CNSnews.com
(CNS News) -- A new survey shows that 61% of black Americans want the police to maintain the amount of time they currently spend in their neighborhoods, and 20% of blacks want the police to spend more time in their communities.
In the poll, Gallup asked, "Would you rather the police spend more time, the same amount of time or less time as they currently spend in your area?"
For black Americans, 61% said the "same amount of time" and 20% said "more time." Only 19% of black Americans said they would prefer the police spend "less time" in their neighborhoods.
"Most Black Americans want the police to spend at least as much time in their area as they currently do, indicating that they value the need for the service that police provide," said Gallup. "However, that exposure comes with more trepidation for Black than White or Hispanic Americans about what they might experience in a police encounter. And those harboring the least confidence that they will be treated well, or who have had negative encounters in the past, are much more likely to want the police presence curtailed."
"These results correspond with Gallup's previously reported findings showing that only 22% of Black Americans favor abolishing police departments," said the survey firm.
Ironically, one of the radical, Marxist organizations calling for the police to be defunded and, in some areas, dismantled, is Black Lives Matter.
Also in the survey, Gallup asked, "If you had an interaction with police in your area, how confident are you that they would treat you with courtesy and respect?"
For black Americans, 18% said they were "very confident" and 43% said they were "somewhat confident." However, 27% of blacks said they were "not too confident" and 12% said they were "not at all confident."
From those numbers and other data collected, Gallup reported, "Seventy-nine percent of those who have had an interaction with the police in the past 12 months say they want the police to spend more or the same amount of time in their neighborhood; 21% favor less time."
Although a tiny percentage of blacks (22%) support abolishing police departments, "the vast majority believe reform is needed, with upward of 90% favoring specific reforms aimed at improving police relations with the communities they serve and preventing or punishing abusive police behavior."
This survey was conducted online with 36,463 U.S. adults, aged 18 and older, between June 23 and July 6. The margin of error is +/- 1.4 percentage points.
http://cnsnews.com/index.php/article/national/michael-w-chapman/gallup-61-blacks-want-police-maintain-community-presence-20-want
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