Exclusive poll finds Detroit residents far more worried about public safety than police reform
Amid a jump in violent crime in this and other cities nationwide, Detroit residents report being much more worried about public safety than about police misconduct, a new USA TODAY/Suffolk University/Detroit Free Press Poll finds.
By an overwhelming 9-1, they would feel safer with more cops on the street, not fewer. While a third complain that Detroit police use force when it isn’t necessary – and Black men report high rates of racial profiling – those surveyed reject by 3-1 the slogan of some progressives to “defund the police.”
“It’s scary sitting in the house, and when you go outside to the gas station or the store, it’s possible someone will be shooting right next to you,” said Charlita Bell, 41, a lifelong Detroit resident who was among those called in the poll. Last year, when her car was hit by stray bullets during a shopping trip, she hurried home rather than wait for the police for fear the shooter might return.
“It’s always some random shootings,” sighed Rita Gibbs, 70, who is so distressed she hates to turn on the news these days. “I just can’t stand it.”
The Detroit survey was the second in a series called CityView, a project by the USA TODAY Network and the Suffolk University Political Research Center exploring attitudes of the residents in major American cities toward policing, public safety and community. The first poll, taken in Milwaukee last month, found broad dissatisfaction with law enforcement practices there.
In a USA TODAY/Ipsos Poll this month, a plurality, 46%-34%, said they believed the stories were exaggerated.
“People are more aware,” said Wanda Jan Chris Hill, 71, a retired city employee who is Black. “Everywhere you look people are getting killed. We know there’s a history of harm against African Americans. We’re tired.”
Detroit residents gave middling grades to the city’s police department. Seven percent called its performance excellent, 33% good, 43% fair and 15% poor. That means a 58% majority rated local law enforcement as mediocre or worse.
That said, they also rely on the police. Eight in 10 would be likely to ask a police officer for help if they needed it. Even more, 87%, would be likely to provide information to the police about a crime they had witnessed.
Detroit sees sharp increase in homicides, shootings in 2020
In the poll, 28% of those surveyed said they had seen an increase in murder and shootings in their neighborhoods; 35% reported a decrease.
Barbara Landrum, 66, was shocked when a young woman was shot just a few blocks from her home in the Warrendale section of Detroit this year. The retired chef no longer feels safe taking walks in a nearby park. “It’s gotten to the point where I’m afraid to do that,” she said.
By 65%-23%, those surveyed don’t support the slogan, “defund the police.” They divide 49%-42% in support for the idea of cutting some funding from the police and using the money for social services – for instance, to help the homeless and the mentally ill.
Why have violent crimes risen?
The reasons are a complicated mix, Detroit residents say, including the impact of the COVID-19 pandemic and lockdown, the availability of guns, and a lack of jobs. Each of those three factors was cited by 13% of those surveyed.
Terrell Garner, 41, a contractor who works in construction, blames the stress of the pandemic lockdown that confined many to their homes, sometimes in difficult situations. “Now that the world is coming back open, people are getting outside and taking this pent-up frustration on whoever,” he said.
Unemployment and poverty play a part, too, said Jerome Washington, 53. “There is no money, and that’s where your crime comes in,” he said. In Detroit, “everybody is struggling.”
“It’s very dangerous now in the city,” said Melanie Taylor, 50. “I don’t even get gas in the city because of all the shootings and the road rage that’s going on on the freeways.” The mother of two sons, she worries that women and children are increasingly the victims of violence. “It seems like there is no code of honor.”