Despite national incidents that have drawn questions about police tactics, Minnesotans appear to have an overwhelmingly positive view of police officers, according to a new survey.
The police association commissioned survey polled nearly 500 registered voters by phone to get a general sense of how local residents viewed policing procedures in Minnesota. After compiling the data, researchers uncovered:
- 90 percent of respondents said they either strongly approved or somewhat approved of how Minnesota police handled their job duties.
- 74 percent of people said their interactions with police were very positive, while another 12 percent said their experience was somewhat positive.
- 79 percent of respondents said recent events around the United States involving violence and police officers had little or no effect on their perceptions of local police.
“[The survey] speaks volumes about the work that officers have done to earn the confidence and trust of Minnesotans,” said David Flaherty, executive director of the Minnesota Police and Peace Officers Association.
Flaherty said he wanted to conduct the survey to a better idea of how Minnesotans viewed local officers during a recent stretch where it was almost impossible to watch the news “without hearing negativity surrounding police officers.”
National Results Differ
Interestingly, the nation’s opinion doesn’t fall in line with local sentiments. A recent Gallup poll found that just 52 percent of Americans said they had “a great deal” or “quite a lot” of confidence in police, the lowest mark since 1992. The Gallup poll also revealed that there was particularly low police support from African Americans and low-earning households.
It’s unclear exactly how minorities in Minnesota feel about local authorities as very few were polled for the most recent survey. 83 percent of Minnesotans polled for the survey were white, and most were from suburban or rural areas.
Michelle Gross, president of the Twin Cities-based Communities Against Police Brutality, said the survey is designed to get favorable responses from people who aren’t as likely to have experienced police bias or racial profiling.
“It skews the base right out of the gate,” said Gross. “[The logic behind the survey] is just wrong.”
Flaherty didn’t get into racial specifics, but he did note that local support “wasn’t quite as high in some of those communities of color,” but in general it remained strong.
Related source: Pioneer Press
