Four in five U.S. adults consider crime in large cities to be a major problem and a majority say it’s okay for federal law enforcement to help local police combat that problem, results of a new Associated Press/NORC survey reveal.
A large majority of Americans consider crime to be a serious problem – especially in large cities – the national survey conducted August 21-15 finds:
- Four in five (81%) say crime in large cities is a “major” problem, including roughly seven in ten Democrats and Independents.
- 99% say crime is a problem in large cities, compared to 84% who think it’s a problem in small towns/rural areas and 98% who consider crime a problem nationwide.
- Two-thirds (66%) say crime is a major problem in the country, as a whole.
A 55% majority of U.S. adults also think it’s acceptable for the U.S. military and National Guard to assist local police, while 37% deem it unacceptable and 7% say they don’t know enough to have an opinion.
Nearly half (46%) of Independents think federal help is acceptable, more than the 38% who say it’s not. In contrast, just 30% of Democrats say it’s acceptable for the federal government to help local police and 63% say it’s not.
Over half (53%) of U.S. adults approve of President Trump’s handling of crime – more than the percent who approve of his handling of immigration (44%), the economy (43%) and the Russia-Ukraine war (42%).
One question in the survey asks whether or not it’s acceptable for the federal government to “take control of local police departments.” A third (32%) of respondents say it is, while more than half (55%) say it isn’t. Another 12% say they don’t know enough to have an opinion on the matter.
The question was apparently asked to gauge public opinion regarding Pres. Trump’s use of the District of Columbia Home Rule Act to declare a public safety emergency and deploy National Guard in the Nation’s Capital – but, the question failed to distinguish between temporary control during a state of emergency and permanent control.
On August 11, Pres. Trump invoked Section 740 of the D.C. Home Rule Act, which gives him the authority to take control of D.C. police for up to 30 days in the event of an emergency.
After that, control reverts back to local law enforcement.
Notably, the D.C. Police Union publicly welcomes the federal law enforcement help and notes that the Metropolitan Police Department is severely understaffed.
