RE: 911:: Re: Profile Contact Cards

[Guest guest]

--- lspolice@... wrote:

Certain other

> factors need to be taken into consideration -- like

> the volume of Interstate

> traffic passing through a community, or the racial

> composition of the

> neighboring municipalities, or of the county as a

> whole...something that

> takes into account that not all traffic stops are

> made on residents of the

> venue where they are made. (Or do people only commit

> traffic violations in

> their own home towns?)

>

Recently, in Tulsa, there has been an outcry of racism

against the PD (citizens saying the PD is racist) and

one of the arguments is that the officers on the North

side of town arrest many more blacks than whites. Of

course, more blacks than whites live on the north side

of town, and most of the crime takes place over there,

too. It's like people who say that the justice system

is racist because the percentage of blacks in prison

doesn't equal the percentage of blacks in the

population. Well, does that if 33% of the population

is black (I just pulled that number out of the air, by

the way--I have no idea what the true number is), then

once 33% of the prison population is black, we have to

stop convicting any other blacks who commit crimes?

The truth is that sometimes one group will commit more

crimes than another. (Or at least get caught more

often--who really knows?) One could argue the same

thing about men vs women. The population of the US is

roughly 50/50 on this (slightly more women than men--I

think it may really be about 45/55 or something like

that) but there are a LOT more men than women in

prison. The truth is, men commit more crimes than

women.

Now, don't get me wrong--I am not saying that blacks

are all criminals. I am saying that, due to certain

circumstances, blacks have more opportunities to

commit crimes, and, human nature being what it is,

many of them take those opportunities. If there were

more whites living in poverty, with only one parent in

the home, in neighborhoods where crime was rampant,

then there would probably be more whites in prison.

So, my point is that percentage of population does not

equal percentage of criminals. You have to look at

the big picture.

=====

Kim

I make a difference

Tulsa, OK

__________________________________________________

[Guest guest]

> If you're giving all of your attention to a specific

> segment of society

> trying to find crime, yes, you will find that that

> particular segment DOES

> commit more crimes. In our little community of

> approx. 30,000 individuals,

> the majority of black people live in the East End.

> I will be the first to

> admit that a lot of drug acitvity goes on in the

> East End. But, if I wanted

> to deal in drugs and go undetected at the same time,

> what do you think would

> be my best move? How about moving over to the West

> side of town. I am also

> very well aware of much drug activity going on in

> the West side of town, but

> there is not that much " drug " attention given to

> that part of town.

Another interesting point is that, also on the north

side of town, is a neighborhood called Gilcrease

Hills. It is also mostly black residents, but they

are more affluent, and fewer violent crimes occur

there. My point is that more violent crimes are

committed in poor areas of town, and, at least in our

city, there are more black people in the poor area of

town. Another thing to note in reference to our

officers being accussed of racism is that most of the

blacks who were arrested were arrested by black

officers. Things that make you go " hmmmm. "

=====

Kim

I make a difference

Tulsa, OK

__________________________________________________