Poll: As Crime Worries Rise, Just 1 in 5 Say Police Treat People Equally
A majority of those surveyed in a new USA TODAY/Ipsos poll agreed that crime was on the rise, but argued for more police and against “defunding” initiatives.
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Nearly two-thirds of those surveyed in a new USA TODAY/Ipsos poll said they ewere concerned over the rise in violent crime over the past year, and nearly a third have seen it rise in their communities, reports USA Today. While they expressed trust in their local police, however, the classic call to get tough on crime has been tempered by broad concerns about law enforcement tactics and the equality of the criminal justice system. In the survey, seven in 10 supported increasing police department budgets; 77 percent said they would like additional police officers deployed on street patrols.
But 62 percent also said some of the police budgets should be used to fund community policing and social services. And 81 percent endorsed a mandate that police-involved shootings be investigated by a separate and independent authority. Currently, just one in 5 Americans (22 percent), said the police treat all Americans equally. Even fewer, 17 percent, said the criminal justice courts and lawyers treat everyone equally. Among whites, 54 percent said the police don’t treat all Americans equally; 63 percent said the criminal justice system doesn’t treat everyone equally. The majorities were bigger among Black Americans at 77 percent and 72 percent. However, the poll showed the movement known as “defund the police” received little support. Only 22 percent endorsed the idea. Black Americans opposed it 60 percent to 38 percent, Democrats 63 percent to 37 percent.
