The Times Poll : Performances of Gates, LAPD Get High Marks

Most Los Angeles residents approve of the way Police Chief Daryl F. Gates does his job and are even more pleased with the performance of the Police Department--but only one in 10 would vote for Gates were he running today for mayor, a Los Angeles Times Poll found.

While he may lack widespread support as a political candidate, Gates’ image as a police chief and that of his department have improved substantially in the 1980s--particularly among ethnic groups--even as growing numbers of them have become crime victims.

Over the last five years, 42% of all families living in Los Angeles have been victimized by crime, the survey indicated. In 1979, when a similar survey was taken, 34% said they had been crime victims during the previous five years.

In the current survey, more than one in five of those interviewed said they or an immediate family member living in the city had been burglarized in the last five years; one in 10 said they or a close relative had been mugged or robbed.

Nearly one in five expressed no confidence in the Police Department’s ability to protect them from crime. Fifteen percent also said they feel unsafe in their homes at night.

Still, 74% of those polled said they approve of the way the police force is doing its job. Those findings come at a time when the Police Department is attracting considerable attention by stepping up its efforts to combat street gangs and narcotics dealing.

A Times Poll conducted nine years ago on the LAPD indicated that only 53% of the city’s residents viewed the Police Department favorably. That poll was taken in May, 1979, four months after one of the most controversial incidents in the department’s recent history--the slaying of Eula Love.

Love, a black, 39-year-old widow, was shot eight times in her front yard by two patrolmen after gas company employees sought the officers’ help in collecting Love’s overdue bill or in shutting off her gas service. The officers, who emptied their revolvers at Love, said they did so in self-defense because she was about to throw a knife at them.

Gates’ outspoken support of the officers after the shooting only fueled heated allegations within the black community of excessive force. The LAPD was widely accused of insensitivity, and there were scattered demands that Gates, who had been in office less than a year, be fired.

The Times’ poll in 1979 found that only about half of Los Angeles’ residents approved of Gates’ performance. That number has since risen to 61%, with blacks in particular showing a significant increase in their support.

51% of Blacks Back Gates

Slightly more than one in three blacks interviewed in 1979 said they thought Gates was doing a good job. Today, 51% approve of Gates’ performance, compared to a 65% approval rating among whites and a 61% rating among Latinos.

His department, it would seem, is even more popular among Latinos and blacks.

In 1979, only 46% of Latino and 31% of black respondents expressed support for the Police Department’s efforts. Today 80% of Latinos and 64% of blacks agree with the way the city’s officers handle their job.

Support among whites has increased less dramatically from 1979, when 64% approved of the department’s activities. That number today stands at 74%.

“Clearly, Daryl Gates and the Los Angeles Police Department have become more popular among a broad range of citizens,” said Times Poll director I. A. Lewis.

Mayoral Candidacy

The Times Poll conducted telephone interviews with 650 Los Angeles residents March 20. Lewis said the margin of error for this size survey is 5 percentage points in either direction.

Respondents were asked whether they would vote for Gates, Mayor Tom Bradley or City Councilman Zev Yaroslavsky if a mayoral election were held today. Gates has said he has no plans to enter the mayoral race but he has declined to rule out the possibility of challenging Bradley along with Yaroslavsky in next year’s election.

However, if the election were held today, both Gates and Yaroslavsky would fare poorly against the four-term incumbent, the poll found.

Of those interviewed, 45% would vote for Bradley, compared to 11% for Yaroslavsky and 10% for Gates. One-quarter of those questioned said they weren’t sure whom they would support. Six percent said they would refuse to vote for any of the three.

If there was overwhelming agreement on any subject relating to Gates and the LAPD, the survey indicated, it is the concept of deploying more officers in areas where crime is heaviest. Three-quarters said they endorse such a strategy; only 14% said they feared that it could leave law-abiding citizens in quiet neighborhoods less protected.

VIEWS ON POLICE CHIEF DARYL F. GATES These are results of a Los Angeles Times Poll of 650 residents of the City of Los Angeles on Sunday, March 20.

These bars reflect the percentage who said that they approve of Chief Gates. Black represents 1988 responses; hatched bars are 1979 responses.

1979 1988 All Residents 55% 61% Whites 66% 65% Blacks 36% 51% Latinos 54% 61%

These figures reflect the percentage of respondents by age group who said that they approve of Chief Gates.

18-24 24-31 31-41 41-46 46-65 65+ 49% 63% 54% 60% 71% 69%

These figures reflect the percentage who said that the Los Angeles Police Department should deploy its officers where there are the most crime occurs.

BY RACE

Whites 71%

Blacks 83%

Latinos 86%

Other 71% BY AREA OF CITY

Westside 70%

South 81%

Central 78%

S .F. Valley 73% These figures reflect the percentage by race who said that crime has gotten worse in the last 10 years and the percentage who have confidence in the LAPD.

White Black Latino Serious crime has gotten worse 54% 75% 51% “A lot” of confidence in LAPD 19% 22% 21% “Some” confidence in LAPD 62% 57% 55% “No” confidence in LAPD 18% 19% 23%

These figures reflect the percentage by race who said that they have been victims of crime.

White Black Latino Have been a victim 45% 40% 36% Have been mugging victim 4% 1% 12% Have been burglary victim 27% 18% 13% Have been robbery victim 4% 6% 6%