Phil Matier

Despite a growing loss of confidence in law enforcement and apparent support for defunding police, a majority of Oakland voters still want the number of officers to stay the same or even increase — support that includes 70% of the city’s African American voters, according to a recent poll commissioned by the Chamber of Commerce.

And while 33% of the African Americans surveyed said their trust in police had decreased in the past year, 54% of respondents said their opinion of police had stayed the same while 11% said their trust in police had increased.

By comparison, 48% of Latino voters said they had lost trust in the police and 38% wanted the police force reduced. However, 45% of Latino voters wanted the police force to stay the same or grow.

“I can’t say that I’m surprised by the results,” said East Oakland Councilman Loren Taylor, co-chair of the city’s Reimagining Public Safety task force. “People don’t feel safe, and right now — if there is trouble, the only options for people are 911 or the police.”

The questions were part of the Chamber of Commerce’s annual Pulse of the City poll of voters. The poll was conducted Oct. 18-21 by the research firm FM3 and has a margin of error of plus or minus four percentage points.