Do police officers treat everyone the same?
Forty percent of Americans think almost none of their local police officers “are prejudiced against blacks,” but 25 percent think most or some of their local police officers are.
There is a stark racial division between perceptions of the U.S. criminal justice system and its officers, according to a CNN/ORC poll released today.
The poll found that 50 percent of whites believe America’s criminal justice system treats whites and blacks equally, but a mere 21 percent of non-whites feel the same. More than two-thirds of non-whites feel the system favors whites over blacks.
CNN points out that the survey was conducted for the most part before the shootings of NYPD Officers Wenjian Liu and Rafael Ramos Saturday, but that it offers a “statistical explanation of the national racial drama” driven by the protests in Ferguson, Mo., and New York City.
This is illustrated by the finding that 57 percent of whites believe none or almost none of the police in their area are prejudiced against blacks, but only 25 percent of non-white Americans think the same.
Both groups believe the future holds promise. Fifty-three percent of whites and 50 percent of non-whites think the racial divide in the U.S. eventually will be worked out.
The poll surveyed 1,011 adults through landline and cell phone interviews. It was conducted through Dec. 18 to 21.
