Friday, June 04, 1999
Races disagree on police
African-Americans disapprove more
The Associated Press and Los Angeles Times
WASHINGTON — Blacks' dissatisfaction with police outstrips whites' by two-to-one ratios or more in New York and Chicago, and nearly that in a number of other cities, the government said Thursday in a report coming amid controversy over “racial profiling” by police.
A survey of a dozen cities last year indicated that 24 percent of blacks were dissatisfied with local police, compared with 10 percent of whites, though the figures varied substantially by city.
Many black Americans clearly think they are treated differently from whites, said Deputy Attorney General Eric Holder, who announced the results.
Overall, 85 percent of residents surveyed in 12 cities said they were satisfied with local police. Three percent said they were very dissatisfied, and 12 percent said they were dissatisfied.
Hispanics were included as either black or white in the survey based on their individual preference.
The poll had an overall margin of error of plus or minus 5 percentage points.
In Chicago, 31 percent of blacks were dissatisfied with police, compared with 11 percent of whites. In New York, the figures were 23 percent for blacks, 11 percent for whites.
In Washington, the figures were closer together — 25 percent for blacks, 19 percent for whites. In Los Angeles, 18 percent of blacks were dissatisfied, compared with 11 percent of whites, according to the survey.
The biggest black-white difference was in Knoxville, Tenn., where 37 percent of blacks said they were dissatisfied with police, compared with 9 percent for whites.
Thursday's release of the survey by the Bureau of Justice Statistics came amid continuing controversy about police departments using racial profiling, the practice of stopping or searching people based on race.
The Justice Department has investigated allegations involving New Jersey's state police. The matter also has become an issue in Florida, Maryland, Connecticut and elsewhere, and Mr. Holder said it was of “great concern.”
In each of the 12 cities, residents who had been victims of violent crime were less likely than others to say they were satisfied with local police. Likewise, people who were fearful of crime in their neighborhoods were less likely to be satisfied.
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