Week 7 - Integration of Secondary Data Into my Project

Welcome back to my blog!

This week, I’ll be discussing the role of secondary in my project. So far, we’ve mainly discussed primary data such as what I’ve observed in ride-alongs and the survey I sent out to members of the community. For this blog, I’d like to shift gears and talk about public perception of the police historically and how it impacts our views and biases today.

According to several studies, in San Francisco, Black residents are disproportionately affected by police stops. Data from the San Francisco Police Department (SFPD) indicates that Black individuals are 10 times more likely to be stopped and searched than white individuals. This disparity persists despite Black residents comprising a smaller percentage of the city’s population.​

Similarly, in Oakland, a study analyzing over 28,000 traffic and pedestrian stops found that Black individuals were four times more likely to be searched than white individuals during these encounters. These statistics underscore a pattern of racial profiling that contributes to mistrust in law enforcement within these communities.​

While not as widely covered in mainstream headlines, Latino communities also face elevated rates of police stops. In California, Latinos make up approximately 39% of the population but have consistently higher stop and search rates than their white counterparts, particularly in cities like San Jose and Oakland. Latino respondents in statewide surveys are also less likely than white respondents to say the police treat all racial and ethnic groups fairly.

Further studies suggest that Asian communities – especially immigrants – may underreport negative police experiences due to language barriers, cultural stigma, or fear of retaliation. As a result, their perceptions can be difficult to capture in traditional datasets but are still essential to understanding the full scope of public sentiment.

Public perception surveys reflect all of the above disparities. According to the Public Policy Institute of California, only 32% of Black Californians believe that police treat all racial and ethnic groups fairly most of the time. In contrast, 66% of white Californians share this belief. This gap highlights the lived experiences of different communities and their interactions with law enforcement.​

These secondary data sources provide a foundational understanding of systemic issues in policing within the Bay Area. They raise critical questions: Do these documented disparities align with the experiences shared in my survey? How do personal narratives compare to broader statistical trends? What factors contribute to the perception of police legitimacy among different racial groups?

By juxtaposing these secondary findings with my primary data, I aim to explore the nuances of public perception and the underlying causes of distrust in law enforcement and identify areas for potential reform and community engagement.

That’s all I have for next week – thanks for reading this week’s slightly longer-than-usual blog!

Until next week,

Ashwit

Sources:https://www.nbcbayarea.com/news/local/sfpd-report-reveals-most-stops-and-searches-involve-black-people/2843852/

https://www.sfgate.com/crime/article/Oakland-police-more-likely-to-stop-black-people-8216695.php

https://www.ppic.org/blog/views-of-police-treatment-vary-widely-by-race-ethnicity/

https://www.axios.com/local/san-francisco/2023/01/13/low-level-traffic-stops-restriction-san-francisco-police

https://www.sfchronicle.com/crime/article/sf-police-california-doj-oversight-ended-20020188.php

https://time.com/5849172/police-racial-bias/