Politics & Government
New Poll Says Most Blacks Against Stop-and-Frisk, While Whites Approve
Quinnipiac survey also found most approve of the job Police Commissioner Ray Kelly and the NYPD are doing.
A new Quinnipiac University poll finds that 69 percent of black voters in New York City oppose stop-and-frisk, while 57 percent of whites support the policy.
Overall voter opinion of the police practice comes down to a narrow 50 – 45 percent disapproval.
A decrease in police use of stop and frisk would not lead to an increase in gun violence, 50 percent of voters said. Out of black voters, 63 percent agreed with the statement.
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"Public opinion is just about down-the-middle on the police tactic of stop and frisk. If the decline in such stops persists, will gun violence grow? On this question, too, New Yorkers are divided," said Maurice Carroll, director of the Quinnipiac University Polling Institute.
Interestingly, a localized Brooklyn Patch with 54 percent of our readers calling for the abolishment – or at least a major overhaul – of the police practice. 39 percent said it was a necessary tactic to rid the streets of crime, and 6 percent undecided.
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In February, to a New York Civil Liberties Union report that said said stop-and-frisks were up six times their amount since 2002, calling the practice “an abuse of power that perpetuates distrust between the NYPD and the communities it serves.”
The Quinnipiac poll, though, found that most approve of the job Police Commissioner Ray Kelly is doing.
64 percent of voters polled support Kelly’s office (with 26 percent disapproving). Among black voters, the number is a little less, with 51 percent supporting Kelly, and 39 percent disapproving of his tactics.
In May, City Council Speaker would be “incredibly lucky” to have Kelly remain head of NYPD, though other candidates pledged to replace him.
Overall, voters approve 57 - 33 percent of the job police are doing.
"Police Commissioner Ray Kelly and his cops continue to get high marks,” Carroll said.