Although some groups have less favorable attitudes toward the police, additional findings in the survey suggest these groups are not “anti‐cop.” First, few individuals have outright “unfavorable” views of the police. Only, 12% of Hispanics, 13% of whites, and 19% of African‐Americans have an “unfavorable” view. Instead, African Americans (40%) and Hispanics (28%) are more likely than whites (18%) to feel conflicted and report neutral rather than positive or negative feelings toward the police.
In addition, majorities agree on what law enforcement’s top priorities ought to be: investigating violent and property crime and protecting people from crime. Furthermore, being “anti‐cop” should lead a person to want fewer police in a community. But no group wishes to decrease the number of police officers in their communities (about 9 in 10 oppose). Instead, about half of blacks, whites, and Hispanics favor maintaining present levels and more than a third say their community needs more officers.
Notes:
12 Some have claimed that individuals critical of policing practices, or those who have negative feelings toward the police, are also anti‐cop; see Matt Wilstein, “ ‘Daily Show’s’ Trevor Noah on Police Shootings: ‘You Can Be Pro‐Cop and Pro‐Black’,” Daily Beast, July 8, 2016, http://www.thedailybeast.com/articles/2016/07/08/daily-show-s-trevor-noah-on-police-shootings-you-can-be-pro-cop-and-pro-black.html.
13 To be sure, advocates of shrinking police departments are not necessarily “anti‐cop” either; however, it’s difficult to argue a person is if they do not want to cut the police force.