Cops and Pollsters
This article is from the archive of The New York Sun before the launch of its new website in 2022. The Sun has neither altered nor updated such articles but will seek to correct any errors, mis-categorizations or other problems introduced during transfer.
The New York Police Department can pat itself on the back after yesterday’s release of a poll showing that most New Yorkers like the cops. Pollsters at Quinnipiac University found that 69% of city voters approve of the job the force is doing. The poll also marks a personal victory for police commissioner Ray Kelly, whose approval rating stands at 65%.
This is no mean feat for a department that has been hit by scandals in the past decade. Lingering tension resulting from tragedies like the Amadou Diallo case might explain why African-Americans are still less approving of the police than whites or Hispanics. Even so, 53% of blacks approve of the department, and 62% of black voters report not being worried about becoming victims of police brutality themselves.
A full 81% of New Yorkers now describe their city as either “very safe” or “somewhat safe.” No wonder, since crime rates have been falling noticeably in recent years. Kudos to Commissioner Kelly and New York’s Finest in the war on crime for both making the city a safer place to live and for sustaining public confidence in the force.
