Race Relations

Delores D. Jones-Brown

In 1967, the President's Commission on Law Enforcement and the Administration of Justice found that, in general, the public holds favorable attitudes toward the police. Despite this general finding, when attitudes are examined across race, most contemporary studies of race and attitudes toward the police reveal that blacks are far less favorable than their white counterparts. This pattern has held for the past 30 years. In the 1970s, only one fifth of blacks polled thought that local police officers applied the law equally (Feagin & Hahn, 1973). A majority (between 62% and 72%) believed that 1. Cops were “against” blacks. 2. Local law enforcement agents were dishonest. 3. Police officers were more concerned with injuring African Americans than with preventing crime. Nearly 19 years later, a 1989 Gallup poll revealed that 50% of all blacks interviewed believed that most police officers view all blacks as suspects, and that in cases ...

Users without subscription are not able to see the full content on this title. Please, subscribe or login to access all content on this website.