Closed but now open

The below, in black, is a communication sent to Josh Chanin of SDSU on May 20, 2015. I regret that Chanin is a part of a process that seeks to control the very lives of people who are victims of police misconduct. He does so my silent machination.

Chanin has long ago concluded that Blacks and Hispanics are subjected to substantial bias at the hands of the SDPD yet he has chosen to be silent about it, irrespective of the national crisis that faces Blacks (and Hispanics to a slightly lesser degree.) Equally troubling is the fiction that his silence (and the assertion that Mari Emerald's February assignment of task) allows. It allows them to be able to claim that after months of examining the data, they (SDSU) find it inconclusive, unreliable etc. The fact is that Chanin and many others were made aware of the diminishing collection trend and other defects (October-November 2014) , and of the actuality; circa Jan 16, 2015. To pretend ignorance is Fraud for Federal funds

I am left wondering what he and others like him -members of the local press in particular- would do if we had another police murder here, while they sat on this information. 

Methinks, that disclosure of Chanin's findings would compel DOJ involvement, Court involvement and review. 

I suppose that a police murder would do the same, but why wait for that.

I have received responsive documents to my public records request. Persistence pays. I remain troubled that no document clearly discloses findings as were published or disclosed to many on December 11, 2014. It would have made a world of difference; at least to me.

I have read the proposal  and while begging your forgiveness, must begin by repeating what I stated to Mrs. Hylton on the night of December 11, 2014. The "veil of darkness" method or theory is ridiculous on its face, because it has ridiculous premise, weasel-words "physical profile and demeanor" notwithstanding.

“This approach rests on the assumption that if police bias exists, whether driven by race, age,

or other factors, will be more apparent among stops made during the day, when drivers'

physical profile and demeanor are detectable, than at night then these characteristics

are obscured by darkness.”

The notion that a policeman who is travelling anywhere is unable to tell, detect or make an educated guess[1] of the ethnicity of the potential "stopee" in San Diego neighbourhoods or service areas, because of nightfall,  is unmitigated madness. I know better. I can barely see, but remain able to tell the ethnicity of drivers who come alongside or go in the opposite direction[2].  And squad cars do come equipped with headlights and other means of illumination. Furthermore, San Diego is a well-lit city.

I rarely go out at night anymore, but my recollection of intelligent night-eyes who have assessed me, by skin, is undiminished by time. That may not be your experience but your interviews will allow you to set aside that bit of nonsense. Moreover; examination of data will show a heavy “they did not belong here bias” to vehicle stops in neighbourhoods where the complaining members of minorities did not predominate. Accordingly; I am persuaded that the time of day evaluations are is a true waste of time You will find that bias is not a respecter of time-of-day, I did.

I am amused and bemused by the Berumen communication that speaks of the public “buying[3]” the chief’s representation that the inability to ascertain demographic information is what drove the finding of inconclusiveness and necessitates your involvement. I am knowingly offended –although not amused- by the use of the expression “There has been anecdotal talk [4]among the community that stops are racially-motivated.”, in that same communication. Both expressions communicate an unacceptable level of disdain for the complainants; especially in this historical environment.

Sensible people know that the chief’s representations were less than honest and, the public has been ill-informed and ill-served by the incurious stewards of the city’s business; the City Council, Councilmember Gloria excepted ( He is the only member who saw that silly subterfuge for what it was and is and said so.)

The (other) denominator problem

The absence of stop detail records for 4045 Vehicle Stop Data records, doubtless should pose a “denominator problem” of a different sort. But since they represent less than 3% of the numerator and appear to be dispersed across all racial or ethnic groups and Service Areas, rather evenly, they may have negligible impact. Nevertheless, their unexplained absence reeks of data tailoring. Perhaps you shall see it fit to obtain an explanation.

The unmentioned numerator problem

As first mentioned last year[5] and again early this year, more than 3900 records that should have been present in the Vehicle Stop data are not there and their absence has not been explained. Again, perhaps you shall find it fit to obtain an explanation.

I will use excerpts from your proposal to make some comments.

Stage 2: Community Interviews

To provide context to the data analysis and supplement what is a very complex and

multifaceted inquiry, we will move to a second stage of research. This research will

focus on interviews with community members to establish what those in heavily policed

precincts compared with those in lightly policed precincts, perceive as the positive and

negative aspects of policing their public spaces. The researchers will conduct interviews

with key community leaders and stakeholders, and general members of the community

representing a cross-section of the community demographic.

I do concede that you are the expert but must offer that persons who have complained or have been affected ought to be interviewed (perhaps they are the stakeholders, even though city representatives cast them as story-tellers). Accordingly, I direct you to the persons affected under Vehicle Stop IDs 1061917 of February 10, 2014 and Vehicle Stop IDs

Vehicle StopID	StopDate	StopTime	StopCause	Race	Sex	age	Serv Areaname
1154756	Sep 14 2014 12:00AM	Sep 14 2014 10:15AM	Moving Violation	A	F	30	Northern
1154697	Sep 14 2014 12:00AM	Sep 14 2014  1:50AM	Equipment Violation	B	M	25	Northern
1154698	Sep 14 2014 12:00AM	Sep 14 2014  1:50AM	Equipment Violation	B	M	25	Northern
1154699	Sep 14 2014 12:00AM	Sep 14 2014  1:50AM	Equipment Violation	B	M	25	Northern
1154700	Sep 14 2014 12:00AM	Sep 14 2014  1:50AM	Equipment Violation	B	M	25	Northern
1154704	Sep 14 2014 12:00AM	Sep 14 2014  1:50AM	Equipment Violation	B	M	25	Northern
1154702	Sep 14 2014 12:00AM	Sep 14 2014  1:50AM	Equipment Violation	B	M	25	Northern
1154709	Sep 14 2014 12:00AM	Sep 14 2014  2:10AM	Moving Violation	B	F	25	Northern
1154747	Sep 14 2014 12:00AM	Sep 14 2014  9:44AM	Moving Violation	H	F	48	Northern
1154877	Sep 14 2014 12:00AM	Sep 14 2014  9:32PM	Equipment Violation	H	M	19	Northern
1154903	Sep 14 2014 12:00AM	Sep 14 2014 10:03PM	Moving Violation	W	M	45	Northern
1154896	Sep 14 2014 12:00AM	Sep 14 2014 10:30PM	Moving Violation	W	M	50	Northern
1154897	Sep 14 2014 12:00AM	Sep 14 2014 10:30PM	Moving Violation	W	F	28	Northern
1154902	Sep 14 2014 12:00AM	Sep 14 2014 11:25PM	Moving Violation	W	M	28	Northern
1154751	Sep 14 2014 12:00AM	Sep 14 2014 10:01AM	Equipment Violation	W	F	55	Northern
1154753	Sep 14 2014 12:00AM	Sep 14 2014 10:10AM	Equipment Violation	W	M	22	Northern
1154876	Sep 14 2014 12:00AM	Sep 14 2014  9:30PM	Moving Violation	W	F	23	Northern
1154710	Sep 14 2014 12:00AM	Sep 14 2014  3:17AM	Equipment Violation	W	F	21	Northern
1154721	Sep 14 2014 12:00AM	Sep 14 2014  7:50AM	Equipment Violation	W	M	66	Northern

Stage 3: SO PO Police Officer Interviews

Based on the analysis of stages 1 and 2 we will develop mixed methods (quantitative

and qualitative) interview schedule with a sample of SDPD police officers including those

at different ranks, those assigned to auto-stop duty, and their supervisors, to establish

whether there are factors and themes that might contribute to any patterns found

in the data analysis of stage 1.

Since the pattern of stopping Blacks and Hispanics and Field Interviewing[6] then , without resulting sanctionable  actions,  shines plainly in data, may I respectfully request that you interview Lieutenant Rose and in doing so attempt to ascertain just how it is that officers were able to target 4^th Waiver persons for Vehicle Stops; the action that she advocates here.

Finally; although I believe that I have previously forwarded the single prior report, I am heartened to see that you will receive “the reports” from Ms. Berumen and  shall have an opportunity to do what most members of the City Council have not, i.e. read the conclusive and damning report. The writers were far too polite.

---

[1]

Serv .Area Name	Description
Unknown	Unknown
Northern	Predominantly White/Anglo (Eastern, Northeastern, Northern, Western)
Northeastern	Predominantly White/Anglo (Eastern, Northeastern, Northern, Western)
Eastern	Predominantly White/Anglo (Eastern, Northeastern, Northern, Western)
Southeastern	Predominantly Black/Hispanic (Central, Mid-City, Southeastern, Southern)
Central	Predominantly Black/Hispanic (Central, Mid-City, Southeastern, Southern)
Western	Predominantly White/Anglo (Eastern, Northeastern, Northern, Western)
Southern	Predominantly Black/Hispanic (Central, Mid-City, Southeastern, Southern)
Mid-City	Predominantly Black/Hispanic (Central, Mid-City, Southeastern, Southern)
Northwestern	Predominantly White/Anglo (Eastern, Northeastern, Northern, Western)

[2] I cannot tell the ethnicity of persons when I pull up behind them. Headrests prevent it.

[3] Mon, Feb 23, 2015 at 3:12 PM, Berumen, Marisa <MBerumen@sandiego.gov>

[4] Story-telling among those people.

[5] Nov 26 2014 11:58AM.

[6] To help gather information while investigating crimes, law enforcement
officials perform field interviews; informal questioning of a suspect
performed on the spot of contact that aren't as structured as formal
interrogations that follow the arrest of a suspect.