MOSCOW, January 22 (Sputnik) – ICM Research surveyed over 1,000 adults of different ethnicities and social backgrounds across the United States from December 5 to 17 last year.
The survey showed that 48 percent wanted lawmen to carry more military equipment, while 46 percent were in favor of lesser-armed police officers, with 5 percent undecided.
The opinion poll came in the wake of months of protests across the United States over the killings of unarmed men by US police officers. The majority of the cases involved white lawmen using firearms against African-American civilians who may or may not have offered resistance.
The ICM opinion poll found that people of African-American and Asian heritage made up the majority of those strongly opposing police having more military equipment. As many as 53 percent of respondents from African backgrounds and 68 percent of respondents of Asian descent said they did not want better armed police officers protecting their lives, in comparison with only 45 percent of US citizens with European roots.
The shootings of unarmed black men have led to public outcry over racial inequality in the United States, with thousand-strong crowds protesting racial profiling. This prompted US President Barack Obama in December to ask Congress to allow for the training and equipment of American police officers with body cameras in an effort to reduce discrimination.
