The Monday Poll: Police procedures and community relations — can we talk about this?

Ferguson, Mo. Staten Island, N.Y. Cleveland. Those places and more have captured the nation’s attention after black citizens have died at the hands of police officers. Protests, counter-protests, marches and civic debates are raising the call for productive conversation and thoughtful assessments of police procedures and community relations.

On the other side are people who argue that police should be left to do their jobs, and that use of force is often necessary to apprehend criminals and protect the public. Citizens who have negative interactions with police usually bear the responsibility, they say.

The Monday Poll would like to gauge your feelings on some of these issues. Mobile users, tap here to participate. (Poll results usually appear online Tuesday afternoon and in these pages on Wednesday.)

1) A special prosecutor should always be called in to investigate the death of a citizen when a police officer is involved.

2) Police are likely to use more aggressive tactics in black neighborhoods and with people of color than when dealing with white citizens.

3) Criticism of police and their tactics is harmful to public safety. People should let officers do their jobs.

4) All police should wear body cameras while on patrol.

This story was originally published December 7, 2014 at 9:00 AM with the headline "The Monday Poll: Police procedures and community relations — can we talk about this?."