The Ferguson thread

[Kutnupe14]

Hence the amount of arrests.

Yeah, not so much. The numbers the DOJ put up are ridiculous. It should be interesting to see the report tomorrow.

 

[hoosierdoc]

Yeah, not so much. The numbers the DOJ put up are ridiculous. It should be interesting to see the report tomorrow.

I suspect they are trying to get ahead of things and control the narrative without releasing methods or context. That will come later once minds are made up.

 

[chipbennett]

??? Eric Holder is racist? Who is he oppressing?

"Racist" != "oppressive"

People keep talking about arrests. No one is paying attention to the other factors? What belief would you have that you would get a "fair shake," if emails disparaging your race is being floated between police staff and court staff? What about if your group is more than twice as likely to be searched, even though you're 26% less likely to hold anything illegal? And what about being subject to 85% of the city's traffic stops? Do white people NOT have cars in Ferguson, and does every black person in Ferguson have one? Or 68% less likely to have a court case dismissed (and lets not be coy, we all know the DOJ would have applied this to similar crimes)?

More likely to be searched? Sure, there might be a bit of fire under that smoke.

But in the most densely populated areas, which correlate to the areas of higher crime, and the areas of greater police enforcement, those areas are likely to be even more densely black than white (consider Canfield Green, where the Mike Brown shooting took place - probably close to 100% black, and high crime - it's the typical, urban, impoverished, section 8, drugs/crime mix). So, no: in those areas, you're not likely to find many white people driving their cars. And in the areas where white people are driving their cars, there's less crime, and less police coverage.

Still no signs of racism there. The police tend to concentrate where the crime is happening.

I have been wondering about these kind of numbers since before Ferguson was in the news. I bet I make traffic stops where the driver is black a good 4 to 1 more often than I stop white drivers. Why? Because the population of the area of the city that I police is more densely populated by blacks than whites. My stops probably match the demographic of the motoring public in the area I police. Since I make the majority of my stops after dark, I generally don't know the race or sex of the person driving until the red and blue lights have already come on. The color of the driver means nothing more than the color of the car itself.

That must be racist; the numbers say so.

Ferguson, MO is 6.20 square miles. Not exactly a lot of ground to cover.

And the areas where crime is concentrated within Ferguson is even smaller than that.

Ferguson isn't so different from a lot of North County cities: some little neighborhoods/streets with old, small houses, and areas with lots of cheap (often section 8) apartments. Most (certainly not all) of the white people live in the little neighborhoods. Guess where the crime tends to happen? (As with most urban areas: in the Section 8 and other cheap housing areas.)

So, the numbers put together by DOJ very well may accurately reflect the demographics of the areas where crime is concentrated. And because police will focus on areas where the crime is, they're more likely to enforce other things, like traffic laws, in those same areas.

 

[bwframe]

I would say 70-80

Do you worry that your days as a white officer might be numbered? Will all officers of the future need to be black or hispanic to avoid the racist accusations?

 

[hornadylnl]

I have been wondering about these kind of numbers since before Ferguson was in the news. I bet I make traffic stops where the driver is black a good 4 to 1 more often than I stop white drivers. Why? Because the population of the area of the city that I police is more densely populated by blacks than whites. My stops probably match the demographic of the motoring public in the area I police. Since I make the majority of my stops after dark, I generally don't know the race or sex of the person driving until the red and blue lights have already come on. The color of the driver means nothing more than the color of the car itself.

Is a car with 24" rims likely to gain more IMPD attention if suspected of being illegally parked in a handicapped zone?

 

[cobber]

Do you worry that your days as a white officer might be numbered? Will all officers of the future need to be black or hispanic to avoid the racist accusations?

And LGBT to boot.

 

[hornadylnl]

What do you think that has to do with what I said?

Bike on sidewalks is a horrific crime. If the PD never or rarely patrols 1 neighborhood, does it mean there aren't bikes on sidewalks in that neighborhood? If that crime is worth micromanaging 1 neighborhood, it's worth micromanaging the other.

 

[BehindBlueI's]

2 racist emails cited in federal report on Ferguson police prompt outrage - LA Times

Well, using work emails to send racist jokes certainty doesn't help your cause.

 

[BehindBlueI's]

Bike on sidewalks is a horrific crime. If the PD never or rarely patrols 1 neighborhood, does it mean there aren't bikes on sidewalks in that neighborhood? If that crime is worth micromanaging 1 neighborhood, it's worth micromanaging the other.

Reread my dui example and it's already addressed. Are you suggesting police should not have a greater presence in areas with more crime?

 

[hornadylnl]

Reread my dui example and it's already addressed. Are you suggesting police should not have a greater presence in areas with more crime?

Is the increased presence proportional to the increased crime?

 

[VUPDblue]

I have never, and will never, arrest someone based on anything other than whether or not they committed a crime.

 

[hornadylnl]

I have never, and will never, arrest someone based on anything other than whether or not they committed a crime.

So big wheels wouldn't affect your desire to have a car towed?

 

[BehindBlueI's]

Is the increased presence proportional to the increased crime?

Marion County originally based it on number of 911 calls for police. Regardless of geographic size or population each beat got approximately the same number of emergency calls each year.

Approximately because sometimes geographic barriers come into play. They try to avoid for a river to split a beat, for example.

 

[actaeon277]

2 racist emails cited in federal report on Ferguson police prompt outrage - LA Times

Well, using work emails to send racist jokes certainty doesn't help your cause.

Assume whatever you type or write is going to be read.

 

[VUPDblue]

So big wheels wouldn't affect your desire to have a car towed?

Go back under your bridge....

 

[hornadylnl]

Go back under your bridge....

Funny that I can't find that post any more. When your not busy snatching big wheels, you can carpet bomb them.

Assume whatever you type or write is going to be read.

Good advice.

 

[bwframe]

So big wheels wouldn't affect your desire to have a car towed?

Go back under your bridge....

 

[hornadylnl]

Go back under your bridge....

Good response for a guy caught in his bias.

 

[bwframe]

Good response for a guy caught in his bias.

Oops...

 

[OkieGirl]

Is the increased presence proportional to the increased crime?

Of course it is! The criminals behave until someone goes and calls 911 and then here comes the neighborhood...

Everyone knows a crime isn't a crime until someone complains about it. After all, every elderly person in a crime ridden neighborhood has nothing negative to say about anyone...they also don't know nothin' about what happened the other night. Didn't hear nothin', didn't see nothin'. The guy that got shot in his house for standing up for his neighbors? Nope, didn't hear nothin'. Didn't know the guy...