Only 41% of US believe police treat Black, White people equally: Poll
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A recent poll shows that just 41% of Americans think that Black and White people are treated equally by the police.
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Members of the Memphis Police Department work at a crime scene in Memphis, Tenn., Tuesday, January 24, 2023 (AP Photo)
An ABC News/Washington Post poll conducted between January 27 and February 1 with a random national sample of 1,003 adults revealed on Friday that just 41% of Americans think that Black and White people are treated equally by the police, and only 39% believe officers do have the requisite training to avoid the use of excessive force.
"Following the death of Tyre Nichols after he was beaten by Memphis police on Jan. 7, just 39 percent of adults in the national survey are confident that the police in this country are adequately trained to avoid the use of excessive force. And just 41 percent are confident the police treat Black and white people equally," the pollster said.
Both are record lows since these questions were first asked in ABC/WashPo polls nearly a decade ago.
In 2014, these figures were at 54% and 52%, respectively.
Memphis authorities released four graphic videos last Friday showing five Memphis police officers brutally beating Tyre Nichols, a 29-year-old Black man, after a traffic stop.
Nichols died on January 10, three days after the incident. All five officers were arrested and charged on Thursday.
According to Shelby County Jail records, all five former Memphis police officers indicted in connection to Nichols' death were released on bond late Thursday night and into Friday morning.
The recent poll showed a big gap between people of different races when it comes to how they see the police in the US. A little bit less than half of White Americans think that officers treat Black people and White people equally, but only 12% of Black Americans and 33% of Latin Americans agree.
"Notably, while 33 percent of white people and 32 percent of Hispanic people are not confident at all that the police treat Black and white people equally, this soars to 72 percent among Black people," the survey read.
According to the poll, only every fifth Black American believes the police received sufficient training to avoid the use of excessive force. A total of 46% of White people and 34% of Hispanics share the same opinion.
The poll also showed that there are big differences that are based on party affiliation. For example, 72% of Republicans trust the police, while only 40% of independent voters and just 14% of Democrats feel the same.
