Most Angelenos Support LAPD But Favor Reforms Like Community Policing, Unarmed Response

By Marina Peña with contributions from Monica Bushman

Published Dec 8, 2020 5:43 PM

Keep up with LAist.

If you're enjoying this article, you'll love our daily newsletter, The LA Report. Each weekday, catch up on the 5 most pressing stories to start your morning in 3 minutes or less.

Nearly two-thirds of Angelenos believe the Los Angeles Police Department is serving and protecting their neighborhood, while community policing, Black Lives Matter, and the unarmed response model have also seen a marked increase in support.

Those were some of the key takeaways from a new survey of more than 1,700 residents by Loyola Marymount University's Study of LA Center aimed at gauging public opinion of the LAPD, according to the center’s founding director, Fernando Guerra. The survey comes during a turbulent year, with nationwide protests calling for racial justice and an end to police violence.

Guerra spoke with our local news and culture show Take Two:

“I think they’re looking at a police department that is changing with them — that they still believe there needs to be a police department, but they want to reimagine it in a new manner that looks like modern L.A. with its vision of how it sees itself and a new movement of transparency and collaboration.”

Some of the survey’s key findings were presented during today’s L.A. Police Commission meeting. They included the following:

71% of Angelenos believe that LAPD’s role should be to serve, protect and enforce the law
Two in three Angelenos believe LAPD is doing a good job maintaining public safety
About 88% of Angelenos support community policing
78% support the Black Lives Matter Movement (up from 70% 2-3 years ago)
82% show support for an unarmed model of LAPD

The survey also showed that opinions were split along racial and ethnic lines when it came to trust in LAPD to do what is right. While three in five Asian and White residents said they trust LAPD to do what is right, only one in three Black residents said they do. Moreover, the majority of Black residents said they don’t believe LAPD is serving and protecting their neighborhood or people like them.

Support for LAist comes from

Become a sponsor

And while just 47% of residents said they support proposals to defund the police, 62% said they support proposals to redirect some money from the police budget to local programs.

LISTEN TO THE INTERVIEW:

READ THE REPORT:

Our news is free on LAist. To make sure you get our coverage: Sign up for our daily newsletters. To support our non-profit public service journalism: Donate Now.