Poll: Blacks see lack of accountability in police

Seventy percent of blacks believe police forces around the country do a poor job of holding officers accountable for misconduct, according to a new poll. 

The Pew Research-USA Today poll released Monday also found 57 percent of blacks believe police officers around the country do a poor job of using the right amount of force. 

{mosads}Because of the small sample size, however, the margin of error among blacks is plus or minus 9 percent. 

The poll was released the same day that mourners gathered for the funeral of 18-year-old Michael Brown, who was shot and killed Aug. 9 by a police officer, spurring protests and nationwide criticism of police tactics in the town of Ferguson, Mo. 

St. Louis County and the FBI are leading parallel investigations into the shooting by officer Darren Wilson.  

In the poll, 36 percent of black people said police officers do a fair job of using the right amount of force, and 6 percent said they do a good job. On holding officers accountable, 21 percent of black people said police forces do a fair job, and 10 percent said they do a good job. 

The poll found white people were more divided on whether police use appropriate force and whether they are held accountable. 

Thirty-eight percent of white people said officers do a good job of using the right amount of force, 33 percent said they did a fair job and 25 percent said poor. 

Thirty-seven percent of white people said departments do a good job of holding officers accountable for misconduct. Another 31 percent said they do a fair job, and 27 percent called it poor. 

The poll surveyed 1,501 people nationally. It holds a margin of error of 3.4 percent among white people and 9.1 percent among black people.