According to a new Gallup poll released on Wednesday, most black Americans want to either maintain or increase the current police presence in their communities.

The poll was conducted June 23 – July 6 and asked participants: “Would you rather the police spend more time, the same amount of time or less time as they currently spend in your area?”

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The poll revealed that 61 percent of black Americans said they want to keep current police presence, while 20 percent said they want to see law enforcement officers spend “more” time in their communities. In addition, 19 percent said they prefer “less” of a police presence.

These Gallup numbers run counter to the views espoused by “defend the police” protesters who claim to represent the viewpoint of the majority of black Americans.

59 percent of Hispanic Americans also said they want to maintain current police presence and 63 percent of Asian Americans agreed with that position. 71 percent of white Americans agreed.

Gallup reported, “The survey also asked Americans to estimate how often they see police in their neighborhood.”

“Black Americans reported exposure to local police is slightly above the national average, with 32% saying they see the police often or very often in their neighborhood,” Gallup noted. “This compares with 22% of White Americans and 21% of Asian Americans. Hispanic Americans’ experience is similar to that of Black Americans, with 28% often seeing police where they live.”

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“The slightly elevated frequency with which Black Americans see police in their neighborhood has limited impact on their preferences for changing the local police presence,” Gallup observed.

“About a third of Black Americans who say they often see the police in their neighborhood think the police should spend less time there (34%); however, the majority of adults in this group think they should spend the same amount of time (56%) or more time (10%),” Gallup reported.

This poll also found that 61 percent of black Americans are either “very” or “somewhat” confident that police would treat them respectfully. 91 percent of white Americans agreed with this statement, 77 percent of Hispanic Americans did as well, and 78 percent of Asian Americans felt the same way.

“Most Black Americans want the police to spend at least as much time in their area as they currently do, indicating that they value the need for the service that police provide,” Gallup noted.

This piece originally appeared in ThePoliticalInsider.com and is used by permission.

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