New Yorkers OK with pot law change, split on NYPD: Poll

Quinnipiac University on Thursday released the findings of several polls on the city's biggest issues.

Although the city is split on the NYPD's controversial "stop and frisk" tactic, with 51% of New Yorkers disapproving it, there is a great divide among whites and blacks.

Close to 56% of whites supported the policy while 69% of blacks and 42% of Latinos opposed it, the poll said.

The majority of the 685,000 New Yorkers stopped last year were black or Latino, according to the New York Civil Liberties Union.

The majority of New Yorkers are OK with Gov. Andrew Cuomo's proposal to change the laws for marijuana possession. Under his new law, anyone who has 25 grams or less of pot on them will be hit with a fine regardless of whether the marijuana is visible or hidden.

Most New Yorkers agree with the move, as 59% approved it, according to the poll.

"Dropping those minor arrests for pot possession is a good idea, voters think," Maurice Carrol, director of the Quinnipiac University Polling Institute, said in a statement.

A new bill being weighed in Albany would give the head of school districts, including Schools Chancellor Dennis Walcott, the final say on whether to fire a teacher who has been accused of sexually abusing a student.

The poll indicated that 92% of New Yorkers favor giving the chancellor this authority.

"When it comes to protecting their kids, New Yorkers want quick and simple solutions," Carrol said. "Forget the arbitration ... get the offender out the door."