Fewer than half of Sacramento adults approve of city’s police services, survey shows

Less than half of Sacramento adults rate the city’s police services as good or very good, according to a community survey from the Sacramento Police Department.

The survey was done in partnership with California State University, Sacramento; the University of San Diego; California Endowment; California Wellness Foundation and Sierra Health Foundation between October 2018 and February 2019.

The survey also reported that 21% of Sacramento adults rate police services as poor or very poor. For Black residents, 42% rated police services as poor or very poor, while 25% believed they were good or very good.

Results also showed that 44% of Sacramento adults indicated that they have complete or quite a bit of trust in police, while 25% have little to no trust. Levels of trust were highest among Asian and white residents, followed by Hispanic residents. Black residents had the lowest level of trust in police.

Among Black residents, 75% said they did not believe officers treated all groups equally, while 36% of white residents reported the same.

While 57% of all residents say that officers use an appropriate amount of force, about 70% of Black residents say police use excessive force.

The department plans to conduct the survey, which is similar to one conducted by Pew Research Center on police relations, every year to monitor the needs of the community.

“The survey identifies areas both where the department is performing well and those where it can improve, and examines topics such as community relations, community trust, police use of force, gun violence, and neighborhood-specific concerns,” according to a department news release.

The full results of the community survey and the officer survey, which contains the views of officers about their work and community, can be accessed on the department’s transparency page.

This story was originally published November 8, 2020 at 4:19 PM with the headline "Fewer than half of Sacramento adults approve of city’s police services, survey shows."