Date: 09/02/2015
Final
Racial Profiling Measurement Issues
PROFILING INTERIM COMMITTEE
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10:58 AM -- Racial Profiling Measurement Issues
The committee was called to order. All members were present. Ms. Amanda Terrell-Orr, Planning and Grants Administrator for the Colorado Springs Police Department, briefed the committee on profiling measurement and associated issues. Committee members received a fact sheet to support her presentation (Attachment A). Ms. Terrell-Orr discussed the issue of data collection as it pertains to potential racial profiling in police encounters with the public, and addressed comments made by witnesses at the committee's August 18 meeting concerning the data collected during encounters. Ms. Terrell-Orr discussed the research consensus on the basis for which law enforcement stops members of the general public. She referenced Attachment A during this discussion.
150902 AgendaA.pdf
11:09 AM
Ms. Terrell-Orr discussed decisions made in her office regarding how police officers are deployed, covering the "location matters" issue touched upon in Attachment A. Ms. Terrell-Orr discussed issues raised during the August 18 meeting about what types of demographic data are collected by the police during encounters with the public, and explained what data are collected by Colorado Springs police during encounters. She discussed the potential impact of requiring demographic data collection on the performance of police. Ms. Terrell-Orr discussed potential pilot programs for collecting demographic data on police stops, and responded to questions regarding how such a program might be undertaken. Discussion ensued regarding the "denominator problem" touched upon in Attachment A, and how often a given demographic group should be stopped in a bias-free environment.
11:24 AM
Discussion continued regarding the "denominator problem." Discussion turned to the types of organizations that might keep relevant data, such as the insurance industry or the Department of Revenue. Discussion followed regarding whether the existence of a disparity in police-initiated contacts based on demographics correlates to the existence of profiling.
11:37 AM
Ms. Terrell-Orr responded to questions regarding what types of methodologies should be used to assess racial profiling in police-initiated encounters with the public, and costs associated with a data-collection study being undertaken by the Colorado Springs Police Department. Discussion ensued regarding certain details associated with this study. Ms. Terrell-Orr responded to questions regarding the work of the Center for Policing Equity.
11:47 AM
Discussion ensued regarding the importance of police collecting data to assess the existence of racial profiling. Ms. Terrell-Orr responded to questions regarding the community's position on participating in the study in Colorado Springs, and the potential for recruiting a more diverse police force. Ms. Terrell-Orr responded to questions regarding her academic background.
11:55 AM
The committee recessed.