New York City Police Commissioner Bill Bratton has more support than Mayor Bill de Blasio, a poll finds.
The Quinnipiac University survey finds that Bratton has a 55 percent approval rating, while city voters approve of the job the police force is doing by 56 percent to 36 percent.
Forty-four percent of voters, meanwhile, approve of the job de Blasio is doing as mayor.
Just 35 percent approve of the way de Blasio is handling the police force, and the same percentage is satisfied with how he is handling relations between police and the community.
Despite strong support for the police, on the other hand, 87 percent of voters surveyed think crime is a "very serious" or "somewhat serious" problem in the city — which includes 82 percent of white voters, 90 percent of black voters, and 93 percent of Hispanic voters.
Support for Bratton's officers is divided among races, with just 39 percent of blacks supporting the job they're doing. Bratton, however, has a 51 percent approval rating among black voters.
"Despite all the hoo-hah in the media about Police Commissioner William Bratton's 'broken windows' theory of policing, black, white and Hispanic voters approve of Bratton and want their windows fixed," Quinnipiac University poll assistant director Maurice Carroll said.
"In fact, approval ratings for Bratton and the cops on the street are higher than they are for Mayor Bill de Blasio and any of our elected city-wide leaders.
"In New Yorkers' attitudes toward the police, as in just about every aspect of city government, there's a racial division. White voters think the cops do a good job; black voters don't.
"But, black and white alike, New Yorkers agree crime is a big problem."
Bratton's "broken windows" policing, which has officers issue summonses or make arrests for quality-of-life offenses, has the support of 57 percent of those voters surveyed.
Bratton said last month that the rift between the police and the mayor was just about healed, with both sides working together to move forward.
Less than two weeks ago,
Bratton defended his department's practice of paying attention to minor crimes, saying it helps avert major crimes in the city.