A new poll shows that nearly eight out of 10 Long Island residents believe police use excessive force at least occasionally.

The News 12/Hofstra University poll shows 70 percent of respondents said they think police use excessive force "sometimes." Nine percent said "often." A total of 15 percent said "never" and 6 percent said they were undecided.

Some believe all the attention high-profile police brutality cases get can lead to a misperception among the public that police brutality is more widespread than it really is.

"I think what people need to know is that day in and day out, police officers are assaulted each and every day," says Nassau PBA President James Carver. "There's force used against them. There's a lot of good stories out there that aren't sensationalized as much as the isolated, negative stories are."

Garden City attorney Bruce Barket has represented both victims of alleged police brutality and officers accused of it.

"I don't think it's often. I think it's rare, but it certainly occurs," says Barket.