PORTLAND, Ore. (KOIN) — As the number of Portland police officers is reaching historic lows, a recent Pew Research Center study shows a growing number of Americans want increased police funding in their communities.
Researchers asked adults of various ethnicities and political affiliations in September about their thoughts on police funding. They compared the results to June 2020, following the murder of George Floyd.
“The share of adults who say spending on policing in their area should be increased now stands at 47%, up from 31% in June 2020. That includes 21% who say funding for their local police should be increased a lot, up from 11% who said this last summer,” Pew officials said in a release.
The Pew data shows 23% of Black adults wanted spending to decrease. But that was down from 42% in the aftermath of George Floyd’s death.
Pew Research Center: Police funding
Those who are Democrats or lean toward the Democrats, a similar drop was recorded — 25% want less funding now versus 41% a year ago.
Portland Mayor Ted Wheeler, who is also the police commissioner, told KOIN 6 News last week he’s pushing to add more officers and hopes to bring back 100 retired officers through the city’s “retire-rehire” program.