Points for Arrests; no laughing matter

The below was sent to the Attorney General for the State of California, Xavier Bacerra, by facsimile, today July, 25, 2018.

It contains the essence of a similar communication that was sent to these government employees:

Date: Wed, Jul 25, 2018 at 8:31 AM
Subject: San Diego's Points for Arrests Program
To: AB953 <ab953@doj.ca.gov>, David Nisleit <sdpdpolicechief@pd.sandiego.gov>
Cc: Kelli Evans <kelli.evans@doj.ca.gov>, Nancy Beninati <Nancy.Beninati@doj.ca.gov>,

About a year ago, the RIPA Board was in regaled, by Professor Khalid Alexander, about the derring-do of squads of police that would descend on neighbourhoods to arrest those "who were committing crimes." That the neighbourhoods were predomininantly populated by "people of colour" left no impression on the CA-DOJ; perhaps it is because what Alexander described is commonplace elsewhere.

In March 2018, some in the San Diego's PD documented and incentivized that which they had long practiced.

We, the public, learned of it from a TV broadcast: hooded whistle-blower; distorted voice; the works. Newspapers followed; like so:

San Diego Union Tribune

Nisleit said his office was made aware of the program the following day and halted it. The chief said he reviewed arrest statistics and that there was not a spike in that time period.

“All of the arrests were based on probable cause,” he added.

I say that Chief Nisleit made a fair attempt at misdirection; fair, dishonest and clever, and a sleight-of-hand.

I say that looking at arrests is a fool’s errand, for my examination of millions of stop records, and similar work by others, show that searches of Hispanics yield the lowest contraband discovery rates (Hit Rates) of all groups, in this State. Accordingly, the chances for arrests are fewest amongst that group.

Even so, there was a spike in Arrests of Hispanics on the day that the email was issued (May 9 2018 at 3:22:47 AM)

Those in the know realize that looking at Field Interviews; the stopping, for pretextual reasons, the questioning and if necessary the searching of “suspects” is what really informs. The below is what they, Field Interviews, show.

We all can see a clear spike among Hispanics —the most fallow field— on the day following the issuance of the "unauthorised" Email Memorandum then a sudden drop-off and a move to the Blacks a few days later. Actions against the Blacks spiked March 14-March 17, 2018. Blacks are slim pickings too, for historically they yield less contraband than all groups, except for Hispanics. Someone should tell Nisliet; with persuasion and repetition the old-dog-new-trick obstacle may be overcome.

Since you, the CA-DOJ, were forewarned of this conduct, by Professor Alexander many months earlier, the failure of the CA-DOJ, to become involved, to be impressed now is particularly unacceptable, for what Nisleit's Department's four-month-old "Investigation", of itself, has produced is silence and concealment. Silence and concealment like so

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