Police respect is at a near-record high, according to a new poll, despite recent conflict between police officers and members of the community.
The Gallup poll, which was released on Monday, shows that 76 percent of adults said they have “a great deal” of respect for their local police, which is 12 points higher than where it was last year and just one point shy of the all-time high from the 1967 Gallup poll, CNN reported.
The poll also found that 17 percent of Americans said they have “some” respect for police, while 7 percent have “hardly any” respect for them, CNN noted.
The poll results come after more than two years of police encounters with unarmed African-Americans — caught on tape — which have sparked nationwide protests.
The poll indicated a racial divide in the attitudes toward police, showing that 80 percent of whites have “a great deal” of respect for law enforcement, while 67 percent of non-whites do, CNN noted. These numbers were both higher than the percentages from last year’s poll.
According to Business Insider, in 2016 alone, police have shot dead nearly 200 black people, which appeared to put a damper on the relationships between law enforcement and many minority communities.
Despite those numbers, FBI Director James Comey has denied the notion that police shootings of black people have become "an epidemic," Business Insider said.
While some might disagree with Comey, until data is released that takes a closer look at the use of force by police, it will be hard to prove a definite pattern giving way to racial biases, or systemic racism.
Such data could shape the narrative as the U.S. Department of Justice recently announced plans to begin tracking police violence, according to the Mic Network.
According to CNN, the new Gallup poll was taken in early October and surveyed a little more than 1,000 adults via telephone.
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