“I AM A Child!”: A Girl-Child’s Truth and The Lies of Law Enforcement

On January 29, 2021, a police officer with the Rochester, New York, Police Department pepper-sprayed a 9-year old Black girl who had been handcuffed and forced into the back of a police car. In the struggle that proceeded this moment, an officer yelled at the girl with obvious frustration, “You’re acting like a child!” In this essay, I consider how the girl’s quick retort —“I AM a child!”—interjected a truth into the struggle that had been all but ignored by the armed adults on the scene. I consider how the truth embedded in this girl’s call exposes the lies of law enforcement and, in doing so, lay the seeds of abolitionist imaginings—a call for a system, a world, that would treat a Black girl as if she were a child.

A machine learning analysis of misconduct in the New York Police Department

PurposeThere is a paucity of data available relating to the misconduct of police officers in larger policing agencies, typically resulting in case study approaches and limited insight into the factors associated with serious misconduct. This paper seeks to contribute to the emerging knowledge base on police misconduct through analysis of 28,429 complaints among 3,830 officers in the New York Police Department, between 2000 and 2019.Design/methodology/approachThis study utilized a data set consisting of officer and complainant demographics, and officer complaint records. Machine learning analytics were employed, specifically random forest, to consider which variables were most associated with serious misconduct among officers that committed misconduct. Partial dependence plots were employed among variables identified as important to consider the points at which misconduct was most, and least likely to occur.FindingsPrior instances of serious misconduct were particularly associated with further instances of serious misconduct, while remedial action did not appear to have an impact in preventing further misconduct. Inexperience, both in rank and age, was associated with misconduct. Specific prior complaints, such as minor use of force, did not appear to be particularly associated with instances of serious misconduct. The characteristics of the complainant held more importance than the characteristics of the officer.Originality/valueThe ability to analyze a data set of this size is unusual and important to progressing the knowledge area regarding police misconduct. This study contributes to the growing use of machine learning in understanding the police misconduct environment, and more accurately tailoring misconduct prevention policy and practice.

A New Consul

This chapter highlights Abraham Lincoln's issuance of the Emancipation Proclamation that promised freedom to millions of slaves in the South. It also explicates how the proclamation coincided with an important change in Nassau: Sam Whiting's tenure in the Bahamas came to an end. After dealing with the August accusations against him by William Butler, Whiting had been busy in September dealing with Dacotah and other issues. The chapter then explains how he caused a “disgraceful scene” in the presence of a large number of ladies and gentlemen on the British Queen. After Whiting wrote to Secretary of State Seward acknowledging the acceptance of his resignation and asserting that he would continue in his duties, the chapter demonstrates Seward's task on finding a replacement. The chapter introduces New York Police Department Chief Clerk Seth Hawley, and discusses his awareness of the trade between New York and Nassau.

For Black men, being tall increases threat stereotyping and police stops

Height seems beneficial for men in terms of salaries and success; however, past research on height examines only White men. For Black men, height may be more costly than beneficial, primarily signaling threat rather than competence. Three studies reveal the downsides of height in Black men. Study 1 analyzes over 1 million New York Police Department stop-and-frisk encounters and finds that tall Black men are especially likely to receive unjustified attention from police. Then, studies 2 and 3 experimentally demonstrate a causal link between perceptions of height and perceptions of threat for Black men, particularly for perceivers who endorse stereotypes that Black people are more threatening than White people. Together, these data reveal that height is sometimes a liability for Black men, particularly in contexts in which threat is salient.

Black Lives and Police Tactics Matter

Using New York Police Department Data, three researchers set out to test claims about police interactions made by Black Lives Matter and its detractors.