According to the newest Quinnipiac data published in the Daily News, 68% of polled New Yorkers see no excuse for police violence which that lead to the tragic death of Staten Island man Eric Garner. Only 24% said the cops’ actions were understandable. 64% wanted the officer who placed Garner in the deadly chokehold to face criminal charges and only 19% thought he shouldn’t.
The high-profile killing has had a definite effect on NYPD’s job approval rating which dipped to its lowest rate in the last 14 years at 50%, with 42% disapproving. Speaking specifically about police brutality, 74% of New Yorkers said it is a “very serious” or “somewhat serious” problem, with 63% of all polled (and 90% of black polled) saying cops disproportionately punish blacks more than whites. Only 30% thought that the police is equally tough on everyone and 1% thought that cops were toughest on whites. Police Commissioner Bill Bratton’s rating has fallen to 48%. Bratton has recently stated that police misconduct investigations are too harsh.
Despite data proving the racial bias of controversial “broken windows” policing, 60% of New Yorkers support the arrests and summons issuing for small crimes and 56% of them think it improves overall quality of life; 34% oppose “broken windows” and 35% think it adds to tension in the neighborhood.
