PPA Members choose neutrality on election candidates

This morning, The Oregonian incorrectly reported that the PPA has endorsed City Commissioner candidates Amanda Fritz, Nick Fish, and Randy Leonard. Though the Eboard initially recommended endorsing the three, PPA members voted to remain neutral on all election candidates. Your votes decided the PPA’s official position on the election.

The PPA asked The Oregonian to correct its mistake.

PPA releases independent Analysis of
the Portland Police Bureau’s Stop Data Report

Collected data fails Bureau’s objective of documenting traffic stops

The PPA has long believed that the public pronouncements that Portland police engage in race profiling are not only inflammatory, but also wrong, and that those who make such pronouncements have misconstrued the “stop data” collected by the Police Bureau. The PPA retained Dr. Brian Withrow, a nationally recognized expert on racial profiling, to do an independent analysis of the stop data.

After looking more closely at the stop data than the City ever has, Dr. Withrow has now concluded these things: (1) The stop data does not establish that race profiling has occurred; (2) Some of the stop data are flawed, leading to data not readily capable of either proving or disproving race profiling; (3) To the extent the stop data implies anything, it is that race profiling does not occur. For example, Dr. Withrow pointed out that Portland police stop African-Americans at a higher rate in the nighttime, where the race of a driver is more likely to be unknown, than during daytime hours.

In short, the collected data’s usefulness for analysis was compromised by inconsistencies in the data collected, the Bureau’s own benchmarks and definitions of racial profiling, and the Bureau’s choices as to what and how much information should be collected. Dr. Withrow commended the Bureau for collecting the stop data. But given his concerns, he concluded that the traffic stop data collection reports conducted by the Bureau do not properly document and describe the routine enforcement activities of Portland’s police officers, and do not provide sufficient evidence of racial profiling.

With the collected data in the condition it currently is, Dr. Withrow warns that it would be easy for laypersons to misconstrue the data. Stop studies can provide invaluable insight into the practice of policing. However, the Bureau’s objective of documenting and describing the complicated nature of traffic stops and routine enforcement behavior was not achieved. Dr. Withrow made recommendations on how the Bureau could improve its collection practices, data and analysis. The end goal is to have useful, supportable information to adequately prove or disprove the presence of racial profiling in Portland.

PPA President, Robert King, is “cautiously optimistic” that the continuing dialogue between the community, the PPA, and the Bureau is leading to increased understanding and appreciation of the different perspectives involved. King says, “The facts speak for themselves.” He encourages everyone to review the report and recommendations made by Dr. Withrow and draw their own conclusions. The report can be found on the Police Associations web site at www.ppavigil.org.