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Local Police Ratings Vary by Race

By PETE YOST, AP - June 99

WASHINGTON (AP) - Ninety percent of white city residents and 76 percent of blacks expressed satisfaction with their local police in a survey of 12 cities last year, Deputy Attorney General Eric Holder announced today.

The release of the survey conducted by the Bureau of Justice Statistics comes amid controversy that some police departments around the country engage in racial profiling, the practice of stopping or searching motorists based on race.  The Justice Department has investigated racial-profiling allegations against New Jersey's state police. Similar accusations have been made in Florida, Maryland, Connecticut and elsewhere.  Blacks' dissatisfaction with police varied widely according to city.

Law enforcement agencies and communities must work together to break down ``the barriers of mistrust,'' Holder said in a meeting with reporters at the Justice Department.

Holder said there is a perception among some people in the black community ``that they are treated differently.''

Overall, 85 percent of residents surveyed in the 12 cities said they were satisfied with local police. Three percent said they were very dissatisfied and 12 percent said they were dissatisfied.  Hispanics were included in both white and black categories of the survey based on their individual preference.

In Knoxville, Tenn., 37 percent of blacks said they were dissatisfied with police. In Chicago, the figure was 31 percent. In Washington, D.C., it was 25 percent; in New York, 23 percent; in Los Angeles, 18 percent.

The figures for black dissatisfaction with police in other cities: Springfield, Mass., 24; Spokane, Wash., 21; Savannah, Ga., 19; Kansas City, Mo., 14; San Diego, 11; Tucson, Ariz., 9; and Madison, Wis., 3 percent.

Among whites, the level of dissatisfaction with local police ranged from 3 percent in Madison to 19 percent in Washington. The level of dissatisfaction among whites in other cities surveyed: San Diego, 5 percent; Knoxville, 9 percent; Kansas City and Springfield, 10 percent; Chicago, New York and Los Angeles, 11 percent; Tucson, Savannah and Spokane, 12 percent.

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