April 8 , 2007
NY Cops Biased, Crain’s Poll Finds Minorities Treated Differently;Overall, City Supports NYPD
by Anne Michaud, Crain’s New York Business
A striking three in five New Yorkers think that New York City police treat
people differently based on race, according to a Crain’s New York Business
poll. The perception of unequal treatment is held most widely in the city’s
minority communities, though it is shared by 43% of whites.
At the same time, three-quarters of New Yorkers said they have a favorable
opinion of the New York Police Department.
Overall, the poll’s findings suggest that the city’s historically low crime
rates are translating into generally positive views of the police — even if
residents don’t always support the NYPD's methods. Survey questions about
police aggression and respectful treatment of young people also turned up
significant divisions between white and minority respondents.
Eli Silverman, a professor at the John Jay College of Criminal Justice, says
that the NYPD’s famous ComStat system, which highlights criminal hot spots,
can lead to more aggressive policing in minority neighborhoods.
“The cops are so pressured on the numbers,” he says. “If commanders see
crime is up in an area, they ask, ‘What are you doing about it? How many
stops were made, and how many arrests?’ ”
It's common for people of different races to hold different views about law
enforcement, Mr. Silverman says, but the Crain’s poll found the racial
disparity to be particularly stark. Eighty percent of blacks surveyed said
there is unequal treatment, as did 70% of Hispanics and 63% of Asians.
The poll of 602 city residents was conducted by Charney Research between
March 30 and April 3. It has a margin of error of 4%.
The findings come as three NYPD officers face charges of manslaughter and
reckless endangerment in the case of Sean Bell, a black man from Queens
killed on his wedding day last November.
Paul Browne, a deputy commissioner of the NYPD, says the Bell shooting and
resulting news reports have hardened opinions about police and race. “It's
not surprising, given the amount of coverage devoted to a controversial
shooting,” he says.
History Lesson
Poll respondent Bernice Shell, an African-American resident of Borough Park
in Brooklyn, says that her misgivings about the NYPD are based not just on
the Bell incident but also on earlier police incidents involving unarmed
residents, including Abner Louima and Amadou Diallo.
“Maybe their approach needs to be worked on,” Ms. Shell says of the police.
“I’m not a racist, but why is the victim never a white person?”
A majority of New Yorkers, 62%, said that they believe the police stop and
frisk minorities too often. The response diverged by race, with 77% of
blacks agreeing with the statement, along with 72% of Hispanics and Asians.
Only 46% of whites agreed.
Forty-five percent of those surveyed — 63% of blacks, 53% of Hispanics, 49%
of Asians and 29% of whites — said police are too aggressive. Looked at
another way, 57% of all residents surveyed said that police treat young
people in their neighborhood with respect. The number was highest among
Asians, at 69%, followed by 66% of whites, 53% of Hispanics and 42% of
blacks.
“The results really underline that white and minority New Yorkers have
experienced policing differently,” says Craig Charney, president of the
research firm. “At the very least, the police need to do a better job of
community relations.”
New Yorkers may feel freer to criticize the NYPD these days, he adds,
because they feel safer. Half of respondents said they are unafraid on the
street, up from 39% in 2002.
Poll respondent Ernest Buehler, a white Staten Island resident who emigrated
from Germany in 1940 at age 7, says that Americans don’t always appreciate
how good their lives are.
“On balance, considering it’s a difficult city, I think the police do a
decent job,” he says. “I am somewhat sympathetic to the police officer who
is frightened in the moment, believing the other person has a gun.”
MIXED VERDICT
Is your opinion of the New York City police very favorable, somewhat
favorable, somewhat unfavorable or very unfavorable?