HOLLAND, MI (WHTC-AM/FM) – Public confidence in those wearing brown or blue and sworn “to protect and serve” is pretty low right now.
A Gallup poll released on Wednesday showed that, nationwide, confidence in police has fallen to 48%, which the lowest recorded level since the legacy of George Gallup began tracking public opinion on this matter. This compares to 64% confidence in 2004. Much of that fall stems from the fallout of the Memorial Day death of George Floyd at the hands of Minneapolis Police, which led to widespread protests about police brutality.
Although the George Floyd incident occurred more than 500 miles away, its impact has been felt among members of the Holland Department of Public Safety, according to Community Police Sergeant John Weatherwax. “We’re still making traffic stop and we’re still taking calls from 911,” he said on “WHTC Talk of the Town” during an appearance last Friday, “but as a community policing team, we’re still out there building those relationships and working with the community like we always have – maybe even more so in light of the recent events.”
In Gallup’s annual “Confidence in Institutions” poll, confidence in police was up seven percent among Republicans to 82%, down six points among Democrats to 28%; 56% among white adults, 19% among black adults.
