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Only a third of Americans support the federal government taking charge of major cities’ police departments despite widespread concerns about the prevalence of crime in the country, a new poll found.
The Associated Press/NORC Center for Public Affairs Research poll released Wednesday showed 32 percent of respondents said the federal government taking control of local police departments is completely or somewhat acceptable, while 55 percent said it’s completely or somewhat unacceptable. The percentage that supports it includes just more than half of all Republicans surveyed, a quarter of independents and 15 percent of Democrats.
Nearly 80 percent of Democrats, more than half of independents and a third of Republicans oppose it.
The results come as the Trump administration has taken control of the the Washington, D.C., Metropolitan Police Department and deployed the National Guard to address what President Trump has claimed is out-of-control crime in the nation’s capital. He’s also threatened to send the National Guard into other major left-leaning cities like Chicago for the same purpose.
Pollsters found significant agreement that crime is a significant issue, with eight in 10 saying it’s a major problem in large cities and two-thirds saying it’s a major problem in the country as a whole. But that isn’t leading to support for Trump’s moves in the city, the poll indicates.
More of a split is seen on whether Americans support the federal government using the military and National Guard to support local police in addressing crime. More than 80 percent of Republicans surveyed support it, while just less than half of independents and 30 percent of Democrats do.
Crime continues to be one of Trump’s stronger issues, with 53 percent of survey respondents approving of his handling of it, higher than his overall approval rating and handling of any other issue. He’s about even with independents on crime, with 46 percent approving and 45 percent disapproving of his performance.
The Trump administration’s takeover of the D.C. police, which began earlier this month, may be coming to an end soon. The D.C. Home Rule Act allows the president to take control of the department for up to 30 days, but an act of Congress would be required to extend it.
But the administration further flexed its muscle to exert control over the city on Wednesday in moving to take control of Union Station, a hub for Amtrak trains and other public transit.
The poll was conducted from Aug. 21 to 25 among 1,182 U.S. adults. The margin of error was 3.8 percentage points.
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