Boardman stats show no bias, chief says

The crime initiative is in its third month.
By JOHN W. GOODWIN JR.
VINDICATOR STAFF WRITER
BOARDMAN -- Township police say May statistics from the Streets Crime Unit show there is no racial bias by officers involved in the crime crackdown.
According to Police Chief Jeffrey Patterson's findings, 100 percent of felony arrests during the first month of the initiative were of white individuals -- 60 percent female and 40 percent male. The report shows that 64 percent of the misdemeanor arrests were of whites while 36 percent were black.
Patterson's report also shows that more minor misdemeanor citations, 80 percent, were given to whites. Searches during the first month of the initiative were also conducted more frequently on whites than blacks at a ratio of 3-to-1.
Blacks received more traffic citations, 53 percent, than did whites, and field interviews -- when an officer questions an individual because of suspicious circumstances -- were conducted more frequently on blacks.
Roller rink incident
Patterson said the figures for field interviews on blacks are higher because officers questioned a dozen young black people in one night during an incident at the Skate Connection here. Without the Skate Connection questioning, he said, there would have been only one field interview of a black person during that month.
Blacks were also issued more warnings than whites, 62 percent to 38 percent.
The police department implemented the Street Crime Unit, backed with a $50,000 grant from trustees, to crack down on crime in the northern half of the township. Twelve township officers have been assigned to work the program on overtime. The program will run through August.
Some members of the black community had voiced concerns that the initiative is more about stopping blacks from coming into the township than stopping overall crime.
Statistics for May
The concerns over racial bias prompted Patterson to compile a breakdown of all stops conducted by officers involved in the initiative during May -- the first month of the program. He said officers are required to report any contact, even warnings, between initiative officers and citizens.
Capt. Jack Nichols said the findings should put to rest any suspicion of officer bias in the department.
"If you look at the whole picture here, it shows that our guys are just doing what they are supposed to do," he said. "This shows you that nobody is being picked on here."
Patterson said no figures are going to be enough to change the minds of those who firmly believe the police initiative is biased against minorities. He said he would like to see the racial concerns vanish so officers can focus solely on arresting criminals.
Informing citizens
"I put this together because it is my job to find out if there is a problem, and I don't want this department unfairly characterized [if there are no problems]," he said.
Patterson said he will continue to track the racial makeup of those arrested or stopped during the initiative. Any complaints, he said, should be directed to department officials. There have been no official complaints against any officers involved in the summer initiative.
jgoodwin@vindy.com