LAPD Stop Data - Meetings planned
Public is invited to attend and give comment

by Bill Murray

January 18, 2005

For some time now the Los Angeles Police Department has been tracking ethnic, gender, and age information (along with info in many other categories) about pedestrians and occupants of vehicles its officers stop.

This is part of the Consent Decree and seeks to ensure the Department treats community folk fairly.

The public is now being invited to a series of meetings designed to explain how this data will be assessed ... and it's not as easy as it seems.

I attended a Police Commission meeting today and saw a PowerPoint presentation that described the types of information that's been gathered over the last few years ... and how it may be used.

It was also that there's a new set of webpages on the City website that will be devoted to the "LAPD Stops" project at www.lacity.org/lapdstops ... but here's essentially what it says below. The locale of the community meetings in late January and early February is also listed below, and I'd suggest that interested parties plan to attend:

Analysis of Los Angeles Police Department
Pedestrian and Motor Vehicle Stops

In late 2001, the Los Angeles Police Department (LAPD) embarked upon a project of systematically collecting information on motor vehicle and pedestrian stops made by its officers (LAPD stop data). The City of Los Angeles is analyzing the LAPD stop data in an effort to further improve LAPD policies and practices. The analysis of the LAPD stop data is part of an ongoing effort to ensure effective, respectful and non-discriminatory policing.

The LAPD stop data analysis project has several phases and will require several months to complete. The LAPD stop data analysis project phases are summarized as follows:

Phase 1: Collection of Stop Data by LAPD

LAPD initiated pedestrian and motor vehicle stop data collection on November 1, 2002, and continues to collect such data, pursuant to a federal Consent Decree. On July 1, 2003, the LAPD form used to collect stop data (Field Data Report Form or FDR) was modified to improve the accuracy of the data collected by officers and to streamline the data collection process. LAPD stop data is posted on the LAPD website (www.LAPDonline.org) semi-annually.

Access to the LAPD stop data is also available by clicking here: http://www.lacity.org/cla/lsalsd1.htm

Phase 2: Development of a methodology to analyze the LAPD Stop Data

Phase 3: Analysis of the Data

Phase 4: Implementation of Recommendations

LAPD STOP Data Analyses Methodology Public Meetings

The City of Los Angeles is currently reviewing a report prepared by Analysis Group, Inc., an independent contractor, which presents a proposal for how best to analyze LAPD stop data in an effort to further improve LAPD policies and practices. The analysis of the LAPD stop data is part of an ongoing effort to ensure effective, respectful and non-discriminatory policing. To assist in this review, the City invites public comment on the analysis proposal. Public meetings regarding the proposed analyses methodology will be held as follows: