Wilder School poll to show Virginians’ stance on law enforcement, mental health and substance abuse

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Results of the L. Douglas Wilder School of Government and Public Affairs Public Policy Poll revealing Virginians’ views on public safety, substance use and mental health policy will be released Tuesday, Jan. 17.

A news conference announcing the poll’s results will be held at 9:45 a.mTuesday in the House Briefing Room of the General Assembly Building, 201 N. 9th St.

The 2017 Public Policy Poll: Public Safety, Substance Use and Mental Health, conducted by the Office of Public Policy Outreach in the Center for Public Policy at Virginia Commonwealth University’s Wilder School, surveyed 1,000 adults in all five regions of Virginia about their views on current and potential proposed policies related to public safety, substance use and mental health in Virginia.

The poll results will show Virginians’ views on topics such as the opioid addiction crisis, mental health reform, relations between minority communities and the police, and public safety agencies’ ability to respond to acts of terrorism in Virginia.

The news conference will feature Secretary of Public Safety and Homeland Security Brian Moran and Robyn McDougle, Ph.D., faculty director of the Office of Public Policy Outreach and associate professor of criminal justice at the Wilder School, who oversaw the 2017 Public Policy Poll: Public Safety, Substance Use and Mental Health.