Poll Finds NYers Think NYPD Treats Muslims Fairly

The poll did not ask directly about the NYPD's Muslim surveillance program.

The majority of New Yorkers surveyed in a new poll believe the NYPD treats Muslims fairly and approve of the way Police Commissioner Ray Kelly is doing his job.

The Quinnipiac University poll did not ask respondents directly about the NYPD's years-long program of spying on Muslims, recently revealed in a series of stories by The Associated Press. The surveillance has drawn criticism from some Muslim leaders and other officials throughout the tri-state, including Newark Mayor Cory Booker.

The question was phrased this way: do you think the New York City Police Department has unfairly targeted Muslims to combat terrorism or has acted appropriately?

The poll found 58 percent said appropriate, while 29 percent said unfair.

The survey also found that New Yorkers approve of the way Kelly is handling his job by 64 to 25 percent. That's up slightly from 62 percent last month and down a bit from the high 60s and low 70s Kelly saw last year.

Mayor Bloomberg's approval rating was 54 percent, up significantly from last month's 46 percent.

The poll was taken March 6 to Sunday and surveyed 964 New York City voters. It has a plus or minus 3.2 percentage point margin of error.

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