The article “Increasing accountability in Ferguson Police Department” tells of the statistical benefits of donated computer software that will “streamline reporting on traffic stops and use of force.” In our age of data proliferation, collecting and classifying data is a must, particularly for a police agency. How that data is used or abused is a matter that affects both police and those they police.
Traffic stops is a reporting category. Data on race, sex and age etcetera is harvested by reporting officers. This data is then applied to appropriate categories and patterns emerge. What information do these patterns yield? One informational tidbit seems to be the race of the cop and the race of those he/she stops. But what does this morsel of information reveal?
Most police agencies require patrol officers to remain in their assigned patrol area unless they receive a radio assignment outside that area. Scenario: a white cop is assigned a patrol area in which 95 percent of the residents are black or Hispanic. Probability dictates that the officer’s traffic stops will mirror the residential composition of his/her patrol area with regard to race. To assess police behavior absent the consideration of the racial makeup of their work environment will reap skewed results. Will police management in Ferguson factor racial geography when assessing police behavior?
Michael K. Broughton
Green Park
