Study Shows: Whites View Police Different Than Blacks Do; Ya Think?
It doesn't take a study to show that, on average, whites and blacks have different relationships with the police. It doesn't take a genius to figure out that they have different views on the police officers, either. And, yet, just to be sure, people are doing the research.
Recently, Public Religion Research Institute surveyed Americans and found that many white Christians do not view the police killings or beatings of black Americans as systematic but as isolated incidents. The report showed:
Eighty percent of black Christians believe police killings of blacks are part of a larger pattern
Seventy percent of white Christians believe police killings of blacks are isolated
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These surveys show the distinct differences in the way whites, blacks, and Hispanics view the police and police aggression. The Grio notes that "The poll results don’t surprise experts on American attitudes toward police, who say experiences and history with law enforcement shape opinions about the use of violence by officers." Most whites view the police as allies in the fight against crime and will give the officers the benefit of the doubt.
University of Kansas professor Charles R. Epp wrote a book about race and police stop. He said that the majority of whites believe they are going to get “reasonable and fair” treatment from officers, and that encounters ending in violence are caused by the suspect.
“My strong sense is that African Americans and Hispanics have too often experienced or have heard of experiences of police officers acting unfairly, so they’re less willing to support the use of force by police officers,” Epp said. “They’re not sure it will be used