From [HERE]  A slight majority of New York City voters disapproves of the Police Department's stop-and-frisk policies, with opinion sharply divided along racial lines, according to a poll released Thursday.

New York City voters overall oppose stop and frisk 51 percent to 43 percent, the Quinnipiac University poll found. White voters support the practice 56 to 39 percent while black voters oppose it 69 to 21 percent. Hispanics are opposed 51 to 42 percent.

"Stop and frisk is a very divisive issue between black and white voters, but a bare majority disapproves," said Maurice Carroll, director of the Quinnipiac University Polling Institute.

Despite their unease with stop and frisk, New Yorkers support Police Commissioner Raymond Kelly and his department, the poll found. Sixty-one percent approve of the job Kelly is doing, while 26 percent disapprove. The approval rate for the Police Department as a whole was 59 percent to 32 percent.

Fifty-nine percent of New Yorkers said they believe possession of small amounts of marijuana in public view should be decriminalized, while 36 percent disagreed.

"Dropping those minor arrests for pot possession is a good idea, voters think," Carroll said.

New York City voters are divided on whether they want an Atlantic City-type casino in the city, an idea championed by New York Gov. Andrew Cuomo. The poll found 46 percent in favor of a casino and 43 percent opposed. Men support the idea 54 to 37 percent while women are opposed 48 to 38 percent. Black voters support the casino plan 56 to 28 percent while white and Hispanic voters are evenly split.

The poll surveyed 1,093 registered voters by phone from June 6 to June 8. It has a margin of error of plus or minus 3 percentage points.