The Center for Police Equity this week published their long-awaited study alleging major disparities in the way the L.A. County Sheriff’s Department treats offenders of different races.
Two of its “noteworthy findings” stand out for all the wrong reasons:
- Deputies used force against Black and Latinx people at disproportionate rates compared to their shares of the population. Black people made up 3.6% of the population of West Hollywood, but 28% of all use of force incidents. Latinx people made up 11% of the population, but 22% of all use of force incidents.
- Deputies stopped Black and Latinx pedestrians at disproportionate rates compared to their shares of the population. Black people made up 3.6% of the population of West Hollywood, but 33% of all pedestrians stopped. Latinx people made up 11% of the population, compared to 22% of all pedestrians stopped.
Disturbing when taken at face value.
But wait … why did the study use a racial breakdown of the city’s resident population to make these comparisons?
The racial composition of West Hollywood has a higher percentage of White residents compared to the national average. According to the U.S. Census Bureau, the national percentage of White residents was approximately 76.3% in 2019. WeHo’s Black population, on the other hand, is smaller than the national average.
But wait, there’s more.
The “noteworthy findings” intentionally gloss over the elephant in the room: Not all people getting pulled over or arrested in WeHo live here. Most probably don’t. From pickpocketers to drunken drivers to commuters with expired tags, non-residents are a major source of crime and police engagement in the city.
Even the study’s authors understand this. That’s why they tried to bury this discrepancy way down in the fine print:
“We use local demographic data (from the Census Bureau’s American Community Survey 5-year estimates) as the most straightforward and complete representation of the local population. The use of Census data also allows us to perform standardized analyses across law enforcement agencies. We recognize that this measure of demographics may not capture the entire population of individuals with whom police interact. However, the analyses on this page can help shed light on the role that local demographics may play in any observed disparities.”
The study tries to connect dots that don’t exist. Comparing the racial makeup of all people who had encounters with the Sheriff in WeHo with the racial makeup of only the people who live in WeHo makes zero sense as a method of determining discrimination or bias.
“Correlation does not imply causation” is a fundamental principle in statistics and research, and it’s particularly relevant when examining complex social phenomena like police racial bias.
Correlation refers to a statistical relationship between two variables. In the context of the original question, you might find a correlation between the racial breakdown of arrests in West Hollywood and the city’s Census demographics. For example, if a particular racial group is overrepresented in arrest data compared to their proportion in the general population, you might conclude that there is a correlation between race and likelihood of arrest. Causation, on the other hand, means that a change in one variable is responsible for a change in another. To prove causation, you would need to demonstrate that the racial bias of the police directly causes the disparity in arrest rates.
While a correlation between the racial breakdown of arrests and the city’s demographics might raise questions and warrant further investigation, it does not, on its own, prove that police racial bias is the cause of the disparity. To make such a claim, a more comprehensive analysis would be needed, considering various potential confounding variables, the direction of the relationship, and the broader context in which the correlation occurs.
So why do it?
Why make assertions that strain credibility?
My guess: It was a foregone conclusion that this survey would support claims of racial bias in the way the Sheriff’s Department handles the public. The study was commissioned not to find real answers, but to provide a data-driven rationale for plans already in motion.
“Who cares if the data is wrong?” those who commissioned the study might’ve thought. “The end will justify the means.”
I read the “staff” gibberish and the rest. It is a one sided and trite “report” that skews the facts. To what end? So we can hire more untrained incompetent and worthless “Ambassadors” as a taxpayer I am sick of endless attacks on law enforcement when this little town has seen more crime and vandalism then I recall in 30 years. SMB is just a former gay now gentrified ghetto with bars and l weed stores and homeless people wandering around aimlessly and no sheriff’s walking the streets anymore. If SMB burned to the ground maybe there would be a… Read more »
This might be a good time to define equity. What do those who promote it mean, what is their end goal, and how does it apply in law enforcement? Without using platitudes please be very specific. What would equity look like practically?
I would like to post some links here but sometimes WeHoVille.com gets (rightly) nervous about a link that might contain malware so just let me suggest you do a search on Heather MacDonald, who is a fellow at the Manhattan Institute, to find what she has backed up with extensive research on the subject of race and police brutality.
Thank you
Larry, here for you only, unless you feel comfortable posting it:
https://www.city-journal.org/article/repudiate-the-anti-police-narrative
https://www.wsj.com/articles/the-myth-of-systemic-police-racism-11591119883
This CPE organization is a joke. It’s sole purpose is to publish reports in order to “prove” how racist law enforcement is so that they can peddle their tired “let’s re-imagine public safety and abolish bail and police and prisons” schtick to gullible guilt ridden self loathing white liberals.
White Lesbians and white gay men brought a lot of crime to West Hollywood by glorifying and dancing to gangsta thug music in the clubs!
Center for Police Equity would seem a by-product of Nika Soon-Shiong and Lindsey Horvath ‘making the data work at all costs” legacy. Nothing but political bull. Weho certainly has been paying the price for Soon-Shiong’s facts. The city must disengage with this organization immediately.
Great article Brandon! In a city that draws thousands of outside people daily and more on the weekends from a metro area with a much broader racial make-up, comparing police activity to a residents only demographic is flawed.
white women glorify and dancing to cRap thug music turned every city into a Crime Ridden Crap-()
It would be helpful to know the ethnic make up of the sheriffs assigned to West Hollywood. I think that it would Brandon’s point even stronger.
There was a similar disconnect from reality when the Council Chambers were flooded with De-Fund the Sheriff’s advocates who insisted that crime could be reduced by gutting the Sheriff’s budget and reallocating that money to social services. But that overlooked the fact that most of West Hollywood’s serious crime is committed by people who don’t live here. We don’t have Russian senior citizens knocking over 7-11s. The Center for Police Equity undercut its credibility in its zeal to find “facts” to fit their conclusions. We need to cut all ties with this organization and not give it another dime of… Read more »
Yes!!👏👏
Some of the issues you mentioned would be clear to folks of reasonable experience and understanding of their responsibilities. This is definitely not a given in West Hollywood. Elementary problem solving escapes them.
Yes! And I’m a police accountability guy. Having followed this organization over the years, I’ve come to the same conclusion.
Exactly, we need to look at real issues and advocate real solutions. There is not doubt that people of color are more likely to be victims of police brutality during stops. But the solutions are way deeper than the sloganeering.
Holy crap.
Speaking from White privilege below.
We are not a racist nation?
LA law enforcement is not prejudiced?
You want to avoid being offended, don’t commit the crime. Very simple concept.
Could you send that message to Mr. Trump on Truth Social, I think he could use the advice.