Evaluating Real vs. Community Perception of Police Effectiveness in the Bay Area
Advisor: Christian Brady
Internship Location: San Jose Police Department
Onsite Mentor: Paul Joseph - San Jose Police Department - Chief
To conduct this research, I will start with online research and library sources to analyze existing studies and public reports on perceptions of police in the Bay Area. This will include reviewing reports from organizations like the Public Policy Institute of California (PPIC), local government publications, and academic articles that explore the relationship between law enforcement and community trust. I will focus on research that compares public perceptions with actual crime statistics, police performance data, and reports on community policing efforts. This will help me understand how perceptions of the police in the Bay Area have been shaped over time and whether they align with measurable outcomes like crime rates and response times.
In addition to secondary research, I will engage in primary research by interviewing community members, local residents, and potentially community leaders to gather their views on law enforcement and their personal experiences. I will also conduct interviews with law enforcement officers to gain insight into how they perceive their role in the community and the challenges they face. To complement this, I will participate in a ride-along program with the SJPD to observe firsthand the dynamics between officers and the community, particularly focusing on how their interactions impact public perceptions. Additionally, I will analyze crime statistics and other relevant data to evaluate how the actual performance of law enforcement matches community expectations. My final product will include a research paper with statistical analyses, findings from community interviews, and observations from the ride-along, culminating in a presentation that provides a comprehensive view of public perception versus police performance in the Bay Area. The types of data I collect will include police time spent on administrative tasks and time spent on non-administrative tasks such as criminal work or traffic patrol.
Project Blog
Week 0: Introduction to my Project - Evaluating Real vs. Community Perception of Police Effectiveness in the Bay Area
Hello Everyone!
I'm extremely excited to introduce my project, which aims to investigate whether Bay Area law enforcement’s actual performance—measured through crime statistics, response times, and community engagement—matches public perception of police effectiveness. To measure this, I plan to conduct one or more ride-alongs with San Jose Police Department officers (I know it's scary but I'm excited!). Through these ride-alongs, I hope to get a glimpse into the daily lives of police officers and measure how much time they spend on various actions—such as administrative tasks, patrol duties, and investigating crimes.
My interest in the topic of police effectiveness and community perception developed through my experiences in AP U.S. Government and AP English Language. In AP U.S. Government, I learned about crime statistics and the role of law enforcement in shaping policy. I was particularly struck by the disconnect between how police are portrayed in the media versus their actual roles in the community. In AP Lang, we discussed sensitive issues like officer-involved shootings and budgetary constraints on the SJPD. Since then we’ve had a new mayor’s administration come in with explicit agenda to beef up the police department and add more officers. I’ve also done some independent reading and research on police-community relations, particularly focusing on how crime rates are influenced by police tactics. For instance, reports from organizations like the Public Policy Institute of California highlight the challenges of improving trust between law enforcement and the communities they serve, showing large disparities in support for the police by demographic. Based on my literature review and research so far, I believe I will uncover a large gap in perception and actual police effectiveness, largely due to the role the media plays in shaping our beliefs about the police.
By conducting this research, I hope to uncover the underlying reasons behind public mistrust and investigate whether law enforcement’s actual performance matches public perception. This knowledge will add to the existing body of research on police-community relations by providing a local, Bay Area-specific perspective on the effectiveness of policing strategies and their impact on public opinion. It will contribute to the broader discussion about the role of police in urban communities, particularly those with historically strained relationships with law enforcement.
I'm super excited to work on this project and am already in the process of scheduling my ride-along! I've attached some links below in case you want to learn more about my project and the SJPD. I'll be back next week to provide some updates on my literature reviews and next steps, so stay tuned!
Project Proposal: https://docs.google.com/document/d/1sCbEsoxuXMDLoN4_At_zDT3qsz8MhyVDD3zS7W4BKcg/edit?usp=sharing
Project Location (SJPD): https://www.sjpd.org/
Until next week,
Ashwit
Week 1: Foundations for my Project
Welcome back everyone!
This week, I’m diving into the research on policing in the Bay Area and how it shapes my project.
Studies show that public perception of police here is complicated, especially among marginalized communities. According to the Public Policy Institute of California (PPIC), approval of police performance has declined in the Bay Area, following a statewide trend. African American and Latino communities, in particular, tend to rate police effectiveness lower than White and Asian communities. This gap stems from long-standing issues like racial profiling, over-policing, and high-profile incidents of police violence.
Interestingly, public opinion on police effectiveness doesn’t always align with reality. Many Bay Area residents worry about rising crime, especially in cities like San Francisco and Oakland, but they’re divided on whether police are actually addressing the problem. Research from the California Crime and Justice Commission suggests that dissatisfaction often comes from a sense of inefficiency and lack of accountability, even as law enforcement agencies introduce crime prevention programs.
Some studies go further, assessing the actual impact of policing. The Center for Policing Equity has found that while police play a key role in public safety, their effectiveness depends on factors like community trust, training, and resources. Areas with strong community-policing strategies tend to have more positive perceptions of law enforcement.
Understanding these dynamics is crucial as I move forward with my research. Next week, I’ll be exploring how these insights apply to real-world policing strategies in the Bay Area. Stay tuned!
Sources:
Public Policy Institute of California (PPIC). “Californians and Their Government.” 2023.
California Crime and Justice Commission. “Public Perceptions of Policing in California.” 2023.
Center for Policing Equity. “Measuring Justice: Evaluating Police Performance and Community Trust.” 2022.
Week 2: Project Methodology
Hello everyone! As I continue my senior project on police effectiveness in the Bay Area, I want to break down how I’m conducting my research. Understanding my methods is key to evaluating my findings, and like any study, there are limitations to consider.
To assess police effectiveness, I’m using a method that combines public perception data, crime statistics, and firsthand observation. This allows me to compare how people feel about policing with measurable outcomes. First, I’m distributing online surveys to Bay Area residents to gauge their experiences and opinions on local policing. My questions focus on perceptions of police response times, trust in law enforcement, and overall safety. Additionally, I plan to conduct interviews with a small group of individuals from different communities to gain deeper insights into their views.
Alongside these surveys, I’m reviewing publicly available crime reports and police department records to track crime rates, response times, and clearance rates (cases solved) across different cities. This data will help determine whether areas with more police presence or community-based strategies see different results in crime reduction. To add a firsthand perspective, I’ll also be participating in a police ride-along. This will give me an inside look at how officers respond to different situations, interact with the public, and navigate the challenges of their job. Observing these interactions in real time will help me understand how policing strategies play out beyond just statistics and public perception.
While this approach provides valuable insights, there are challenges. One limitation is sampling bias—since my surveys rely on voluntary responses, they may not fully represent the diversity of opinions in the Bay Area. People who feel strongly about policing, whether positively or negatively, are more likely to respond, which could skew results. Another limitation is data gaps—while crime statistics offer an objective measure of police performance, they don’t capture unreported crimes or broader social factors that influence crime rates. Additionally, police departments may categorize and report data differently, making direct comparisons between cities more challenging.
Despite these limitations, my research aims to provide a well-rounded look at police effectiveness in the Bay Area. Next week, I’ll be diving into initial findings and what they reveal about the relationship between policing and public trust. Stay tuned!
Week 3: Updates on Ride-Along Scheduling and Data Collection
Welcome back to my blog!
This week, I'll be discussing my progress with scheduling my ride-along and talking about some of my primary and secondary data.
First off, I have some exciting news! After a long process of signing waivers and getting approval from the SJPD, I have scheduled my ride along with the SJPD for this upcoming Monday. The ride-along will last three hours with one or more officers in an unmarked police vehicle. I have been told that pictures and videos are unfortunately not allowed, however, I will try to take notes and gather as much information as possible. I'm super excited to see what I learn from the ride-along and what data I can collect, but part of me is a bit scared. Next week, I'll discuss what I learned from the ride-along and share more about my experience.
Aside from my ride-along scheduling, I've been working on creating a survey to assess public perception of the police in my community. This survey aims to assess the general perception of police effectiveness of members of my community through a series of questions. For example, some questions include "How effective do you think the police in your area are in allocating their time between different responsibilities (e.g., emergency response, community engagement, traffic enforcement)?" and "Do you feel comfortable reporting crimes to the police?" I hope to send this survey out to as many people in my community as possible, hopefully covering people of all demographics (ex: age and race).
As part of my research, I've also been keeping up with some current events involving police funding and federal support of the police. One interesting article that caught my eye detailed how the Senate recently passed a bill to prevent $1 billion in budget cuts for police in the District of Columbia. This is just one example of how perceptions of the public may misalign with federal and police activities, as many were displeased with the passing of this bill.
That's all I have for this week's blog. Next week, I'll hopefully be back with some cool updates and observations from my ride-along!
Until next week,
Ashwit
Week 4: About the Ride-Along!
Hello everyone!
This week, I'll discuss the highlights of my ride-along from earlier this week and their relevance to my project.
To start, I just wanted to say that this ride-along was an incredible experience that I urge everyone to take part in! I truly learned a lot about my community, policing measures, and how the San Jose Police Department operates. When I first sat in the car, I was greeted by two officers who would be the "tour guides" for the ride-along, as well as two other passengers who were training to become part of the police force and were there to learn about what their future careers may look like. Unfortunately, I was unable to record any videos or take pictures as that was strictly prohibited, but I was still able to take notes which I'll use for my research and share with you!
Our first destination was the SJPD headquarters located near downtown San Jose. Once we got there, the officers gave us an in-depth tour of the facilities, including the briefing room, evidence room, and stations where officers pick up their daily supplies. From this tour, I learned that the SJPD has been affected by budget cuts and a lack of funding since 2016. This has caused many issues such as a lack of available patrol vehicles and overworked officers, which I heard about firsthand from officers.
After exiting the headquarters, the officers opened their laptops and turned on their radios to respond to calls. The amount of technology and communication used by officers was extremely impressive, and I was able to learn about how the SJPD effectively allocates officers to each task. Eventually, we headed out to our first call, which was related to a man chasing another man with a machete. As we were heading to the scene, the severity of the situation was upped to a code 3, and we turned on our sirens and drove as fast as possible. That experience had my adrenaline rushing and was honestly crazy, but more details will be shared in my actual presentation in May!
Overall, this ride-along was one of the coolest and most eye-opening experiences of my life, and I gathered a significant amount of data for my presentation! That's all for this week - I hope you all enjoyed reading about my ride-along!
Until next week,
Ashwit
Week 5: More Ride-Along Findings and Next Steps For My Project
Hello and welcome back to my blog!
This week I'll be discussing some key takeaways from the results of my ride-along and what I have to do next for my project.
During my ride-along with the San Jose Police Department, I got a behind-the-scenes look at how law enforcement operates on a day-to-day basis. One of the most surprising things I learned was how much of officers' time is spent on administrative work—roughly 60%, compared to only 40% on actual patrol. Every stop requires detailed documentation, and bodycam footage is reviewed daily. This emphasis on transparency and accountability gave me a better understanding of the protocols police follow and the bureaucracy they work within.
I also learned about the structure of the department itself. SJPD divides the city into specific districts, with each officer assigned to a car and area daily. They rely on sophisticated computer systems that track calls, officer locations, and department-wide bulletins. Even small interactions require coordination and real-time decisions, which gave me a deeper appreciation for the complexity of their operations. Staffing shortages were a recurring theme in conversations I overheard—highlighting how past funding cuts have increased the strain on officers.
With those insights in mind, I’ve finalized my survey questions, which are designed to measure how the public perceives police effectiveness compared to what I observed in person. I plan to distribute the survey across various Bay Area communities to capture a broad range of perspectives. The survey includes questions about trust, safety, and response time, aiming to shed light on the extent to which perceptions match reality.
As for the next steps, I’m considering scheduling a second ride-along—possibly with the Oakland Police Department or another city in the Bay Area—to compare experiences between departments. I want to see whether the issues I observed in San Jose are unique or part of a larger trend across urban law enforcement agencies.
Thanks for reading this week's blog! I’m excited to see how this next phase shapes my final project!
Until next week,
Ashwit
Week 6: Primary Data Collection
Hello everyone and welcome back to my blog!
This week, I'll be providing some updates on my survey and the responses I have gotten. Over the past week, I've been sending out the form to friends and family who live in the Bay Area and posting the link on online forums such as Reddit. So far, I've gotten around 50 responses from people of various ethnicities, ages, and genders. Although I am still in the early stages of data collection, I've already noticed some intriguing trends, particularly in the responses to questions by race and gender. Additionally, I added a question where people can discuss their personal experiences with the police, and I obtained some unique anecdotes that I can use in my presentation.
In terms of the overall perception of the police department by residents of the Bay Area, I noticed that responses differed significantly. Some people had extremely positive experiences with the police, whereas others rated them a 1 on a scale from 1-5 for police effectiveness. I hope to continue gathering results and get a sample size that adequately represents the population.
On a side note, I have come to realize that most of my primary data has been focused on San Jose instead of the entire Bay Area. This includes my ride-along and most of the responses on the survey. Due to this, I am considering changing my project's scope to just focusing on San Jose rather than the entire Bay Area. I believe this will still be an impactful project as the city of San Jose is still massive and the SJPD is a very complex organization.
Next week, I'll be back with some more updates on data collection and potentially some news about a second ride-along!!
Thank you for your time and see you next week!
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
Week 8: Analyzing Current Primary Data
Hello everyone, and welcome back to my blog!
This week, I’m excited to share some updates on the data I’ve gathered so far from my survey. To maximize responses, I distributed the survey to family and friends, as well as on social media platforms like Reddit. To my surprise, I’ve already received a fairly large and diverse sample of 50 participants (and counting!). Most responses came from across the Bay Area, with a strong concentration in San Jose—which actually aligns well with my recent decision to focus the project specifically on San Jose rather than the entire Bay Area
I was also glad to see demographic diversity, with respondents representing a range of ethnic backgrounds including White Americans, Asian Americans, Native Americans, and more. Interestingly, 52% of participants so far fall within the 45–54 age range. To balance out the data, I’m currently working on reaching younger audiences to further diversify my sample.
Now for the exciting part—what people had to say about the police department! Overall, I was surprised by some of the results. While participants generally rated their personal sense of safety in the community quite high, their perceptions of police effectiveness and fairness were much more lukewarm. Many respondents were fairly accurate in estimating how police allocate their time across different activities, but there was a significant underestimation of how much time is spent on administrative tasks.
I don’t want to spoil all the findings just yet, as I’ll be saving the full breakdown for my final presentation. But I hope this gave you a sneak peek into the results of my project. In the coming weeks, I plan to collect more responses and dive deeper into the analysis.
Thanks for reading this week’s blog!
Until next week,
Ashwit
Week 9: Ride-Along #2!
Hello everyone and welcome back to my blog! This week, I'll be describing the key highlights of my second ride-along and its implications for my project.
This ride-along was conducted with the SJPD and unlike my first ride-along, it was with a patrol officer. This is a key difference as I was in a marked police vehicle and with an officer who was actively performing patrol duties, unlike my first ride-along where the vehicle was unmarked and the officers were only responding to calls.
I started by meeting the patrol officer I would be riding with at the SJPD headquarters, from where he took me to meet his patrol team at a nearby cafe. After introducing myself to the team, we headed out to begin our patrol duties for the day. Before we started driving, my patrol officer opened his laptop and guided me through understanding how San Jose is divided for patrol officers. I learned that the city is alphanumerically divided into districts, with each officer being responsible for a certain district (ex: we had the district K2). Much to my surprise, these districts were relatively large, especially considering that there was only one officer responsible for each district. When I asked the officer why the districts were so large, he explained that it was primarily due to the extreme understaffing of the department. For example, at the time of our patrol shift, there were only around 35 active patrol officers for the entire city (keep in mind San Jose has close to 1,000,000 residents). This was a key takeaway for my project, as it highlights one of the primary reasons for inefficiency.
After learning about this, we began to move to conduct patrol duties. Our first action was to conduct a community foot patrol (CFP) in St. James Park, which is a hub for unhoused people and drug dealers. During this CFP, we arrested a man who was interfering with police activities by running in the middle of the streets despite several warnings. We soon came to the conclusion that the man may have been mentally-ill or on substances, and after searching and questioning him, the officers decided to put him on a 5150 (a temporary psychiatric hold for the mentally ill). A key observation I noted throughout this was that the process took over an hour, and during that time there were other priority calls that we could not respond to because we were occupied with this call. Although we had one more set of officers with us, we could not leave the scene due to the buddy system in place. This truly highlighted the inefficiencies that the SJPD has and made me wonder why officers tend to spend so much time detaining the unhoused and mentally ill rather than responding to calls where there is a larger threat.
For the rest of the shift, we proceeded to make one more arrest and respond to another call about a deceased person in a park. After this, I was dropped back to the headquarters where I had parked.
Overall, I found my second ride-along to be even more valuable than my first. I learned a lot about the inefficiencies of the police and the overwhelming amount of paperwork that police have to do for every call.
If you want to learn how these compare and contrast with community perceptions, be sure to come to my actual presentation! Thank you so much for reading this week's blog, and I hope to see you here soon!
Until next week,
Ashwit
Week 10: Final Insights!
Hello everyone, and welcome back to my final blog!
This project has been very enjoyable and rewarding, and it's been great to share the ups and downs with all of you! Over the past week, I synthesized all of the data I gathered from the survey and ride-alongs in order to complete my final research paper and project presentation. Some of the trends and results were extremely intriguing to see, and I hope that this research can be used to make a tangible impact in the future!
Thank you all so much for consistently reading these blogs, and I hope to see you at my presentation on Saturday!
Signing off,
Ashwit Mathur