Skewed stats aren\u2019t enough to prove bias<\/p>\n
Malverne, L.I.: To Voicers Jim Carney and Fran Bocignone: Thank you both for your letters. I can certainly attest that your observations in regard to Bob Gangi\u2019s op-ed on Aug. 16 (\u201cThe NYPD is still over-policing Black and Latino men<\/a>\u201c) are well-informed and that your concerns are valid. In my view, the issue isn\u2019t necessarily the statistical accuracy of Gangi\u2019s numbers, but how they\u2019re framed and interpreted. Although I\u2019m not privy to all the data he\u2019s analyzing, I believe he may be comparing apples to oranges.<\/p>\n As a former NYPD crime analysis sergeant with seven years of experience in that role, I never observed the patterns he describes. A proper analysis should first consider the types and locations of the crimes leading to arrests, and whether police deployment corresponds with reported crime. The demographics of those arrests should then be compared with the demographics of the specific precincts where they occur \u2014 not simply with the citywide population, since there are precincts in the city where a majority of the population are people of color.<\/p>\n Police are deployed where complaints and crimes are reported. Residents of communities of color, like everyone else, want safe neighborhoods and often request police presence when they experience crime. Therefore, arrest patterns may reflect where crime occurs and where police are deployed rather than demographic bias. In my experience, the full context behind the numbers is essential before drawing conclusions about bias.<\/p>\n Dave Kalin<\/p>\n Bias articulated<\/p>\n Brooklyn: The comment by Voicer Fran Bocignone alleging the reason for the over-policing of Black and Latino men is \u201cbecause they are the ones committing most of the crimes\u201d is astonishingly hateful, racist and wrong. Is this how she feels about her neighbors on Staten Island? Does she clutch her purse and pearls at the mere sight of a Black or Latino man? Attitudes like hers are what drives some of this behavior in the first place. Over-policing results in profiling and then manifests into large numbers of unneeded stops and detainments of Black and Latino men, leading to the large number of media reports of crime. Whatever the reason, she\u2019s plain wrong, and possibly living in the wrong city for this kind of perspective.<\/p>\n Wanda Peakes<\/p>\n Shameful statements<\/p>\n Brooklyn: To Voicer Fran Bocignone: Wow! Can you be any more blatantly racist? Well, you\u2019re an Italian from Staten Island and most likely a Brooklyn transplant, so I answered my own question. How do you like the biased assumptions? It\u2019s such a shame and a disgrace that demon-spawn Donny has made it so acceptable for outright racism, Islamophobia and hate. It\u2019s almost a badge of honor for MAGA. Just look at how our mayor has been treated, especially regarding the 9\/11 ceremony. I\u2019m ashamed and embarrassed to say that people such as Bocignone are New Yorkers and neighbors.<\/p>\n Susan Cassano<\/p>\n Futuristic frights<\/p>\n Yonkers: Voicer Dorothy Krasiker asks if anyone remembers HAL in \u201c2001: A Space Odyssey.\u201d What about Skynet and the Terminators created by Cyberdyne Systems? Is anyone nervous yet?<\/p>\n Mark Bloom<\/p>\n Grudge GM<\/p>\n