Will Chicago's 'CompstatCPS' follow New York's lead in killing crime by 'juking' the stats?
Amid an enormous amount of fanfare, and with a cast of nearly hundreds (mostly police officers), Chicago Mayor Rahm Emanuel, Schools Chief Executive Officer Jean-Claude Brizard, and Police Supt. Gerry McCarthy hosted a December 13, 2011, media event at Police Headquarters at 35th and Michigan to introduce Chicago's media to the latest in crime fighting: "CompStatCPS."
Chicago Police Supt. Garry McCarthy (hand outstretched) brief the press prior to beginning a session of "CPS CompStat" at Chicago Police Headquarters on December 13, 2011. Substance photo by George N. Schmidt.
But the question will have to be asked at a much more local level before the cheering will make sense. Is CompStatCPS just another way of what The Wire called "Juking the stats..."
A Math Problem
Monday, January 02, 2012
We haven't seen the official count yet as we're enjoying the last few days of our 13B. Supposedly, Chicago suffered a grand total of 4 fewer murders than last year.
2010 - 435
2011 - 431
After a year touting "double digit" crime reductions all over the media, the only number that matters was less than a 1% reduction. All the units being disbanded, the shuffling of administrative positions and elimination of spots, even the counting of recruits coming off probation as "officers" was used to justify all sorts of political shenanigans, and pretty much demonstrated exactly how little control the police have over idiots determined to kill one another.
Here's a conundrum though - crime statistics are usually expressed in terms of ".... per 100,000 people." Chicago lost 200,000 residents in the last census. So is it safe to assume that Chicago's homicide rate has actually been climbing? We're going to guess that the media is told to play up the "drop in the number of homicides" rather than the "homicide rate climbs."
http://secondcitycop.blogspot.com/...
a quick google search of violent crime chicago statitistics
Violent crime down in Chicago, Weis says - Chicago Tribune
May 9, 2010 – Even as violent killings and beatings make headlines across Chicago, police Superintendent Jody Weis said violent crime is down 11 percent ..
Weis: Chicago crime down despite recent violence - Chicago ...
Aug 2, 2010 – For the third consecutive day, a top Chicago police official held a news briefing as the department struggles to get out its message that crime ...
Homicides up, overall crime down in Chicago - Chicago Breaking ...
Jul 20, 2010 – Homicides are up more than 5 percent in Chicago compared with last year, according to crime statistics through the end of June. There were ...
Violent crime down in Chicago, police figures show - Chicago ...
Jun 5, 2011 – Overall crime was down for the 29th consecutive month in Chicago, according to preliminary monthly crime statistics for the month of May ...
Police: Crime Down In Chicago For July « CBS Chicago
Aug 16, 2011 – Police say crime was down in Chicago for the month of July, making it the 31st month in a row that's happened.
Chicago Crime Down For 30th Straight Month | News One
Jul 18, 2011 – Police in the nation's third largest city say overall crime was down 4.2 percent last month compared with a year ago, making it the 30th ...
Chicago's-violent-crime-down-in-January - Chicago Sun-Times
Bad weather may have contributed to unusually large falls in crime levels last month, Chicago Police Supt. Jody Weis acknowledged Sunday. Hailing 10 percent ...
Chicago Crime Statistics: Murders Down 14.2 Percent, Overall ...
May 9, 2011 – Chicago's crime rate continued to decline in April, marking the 28th consecutive month that the Chicago Police Department reported a drop in ...
Chicago Crime Down Overall: Police | NBC Chicago
Jun 6, 2011 – Total crime in the city fell 5.9 percent compared to the numbers through May 2010, according to police statistics.
Police: Chicago Violent Crime Down 30 Consecutive Months
Jul 11, 2011 – Chicago - Police in the nation's third largest city say overall crime was down 4.2 percent last month compared to a year ago, making it the 30th
Detective Shaved Longcock: CPD: Violent crime down in Chicago ...
Jun 5, 2011 – CPD: Violent crime down in Chicago 29 STRAIGHT MONTHS! - Mayor Emanuel says if it drops any more, Chicago will have to import crimes ...
That is, playing numbers games to prove things are getting better when they aren't. And while there hasn't been any major news investigation of how Chicago crime statistics are being reported lately (either from the public schools, or in general), suspicions have to be raised whenever a politically connected duo like CPS CEO Jean-Claude Brizard and CPD Superintendent Garry McCarthy are in charge of the data that will show whether the mayor (who appointed both out of towners over local objections; McCarthy is from Newark, New Jersey, and Brizard's last position was in Rochester, New York) are in charge of the numbers. Whether the numbers become part of a numbers game that hinders actual crime fighting and gang suppression in Chicago's public schools remains to be seen.
Following the December 13, 2011, media event at Police Headquarters supposedly showing a CompStatCPS meeting between police officials and principals, Chicago Mayor Rahm Emanuel (above center) spoke to the press about the crime prevention program. Above, CPS Chief Executive Officer Jean-Claude Brizard answered a few questions before Emanuel took charge of the media event's question portion. On the left above is Police Supt. Garry McCarthy. Substance photo by George N. Schmidt.
Flanked by Chicago Schools CEO Jean-Claude Brizard and Chicago Police Superintendent Garry McCarthy, Chicago Mayor Rahm Emanuel, announced on December 13, 2011 that the city, CPS and the police department are instituting a program called "COMPSTAT for CPS." The announcement came during an 11:00 a.m. media event at Chicago Police Headquarters. The event, which included a full-dress version of CompStat" for reporters, then a question-and-answer with the three, stretched for more than an hour.
The enormous screen at Police Headquarters featured the Power Point presentation that would accompany 'CompStat CPS' on December 13, 2011. Substance photo by George N. Schmidt.
Told to arrive at 10:45, the press were first made to wait ten minutes in a kind of holding room, then treated to a kind of "CPS CompState" session in a room which included just about every top Chicago Police official (and more than 60 police officers of various ranks), followed by a carefully controlled "media availability" at which the mayor refused to answer a simply Substance question (see below).
The main event featured John Kupczyk, Commander of the 8th (Chicago Lawn) Police District leading a CompStat session with Gage Park High School Principal Anita Andrews. The discussion, which was led by Superintendent McCarthy, walked people through statistical information about Gage Park High School's policing challenges, ranging from truancy to gangs.
Most of the presentation that was open to reporters consisted of statistics and discussion led by 8th District Police Commander John Kupczyk (above). In the photo above, Kupczyk explains how police handle the daily round up of truants who are supposed to be in class at Gage Park High School. Mayor Emanuel refused to answer a Substance question about why police rather than truant officers are doing that work in Chicago. Substance photo by George N. Schmidt.
Although the event was supposed to feature two police commanders and five Chicago public high schools (no charters, by the way; do they not have crime?), only one commander and one high school actually made the show. The high schools that didn't were Hope, Robeson, Harper and Kennedy.
Apparently, Gage Park High School with its intimate relationships with the police was enough to show how well things were going with CompStat CPS. According to the Gage Park principal, whenever there is a gang problem in the community over the weekend, she springs into action so that everyone is in place on Monday morning to handle the problem at the school. And there are no gang problems within the school because of that.
Chicago Police have a computerized map showing which street gangs at active near and within the city's public schools. Above, the map for Gage Park High School shows that the Latin Kings (in yellow) control territory north of the school, which east and south of the school are controlled by various Disciple groups, which are traditionally in conflict with the Latin Kings. Substance photo by George N. Schmidt.
Reporters didn't get the chance to hear whether the gangs had been successfully thwarted at Harper, Hope, Robeson, and Kennedy, because the event was rushed through.
The majority of the more than 100 people in the room were police officers of various ranks, ranging from beat cops all the way to the Police Superintendent.
After the main session, reporters were herded back into a press briefing room for 15 minutes, until the mayor and the two top officials joined them and answered questions (except a major question from Substance). Two questions Substance would have asked the mayor, had he not ignored Substance's attempts to ask the questions were:
First, "Mr. Mayor, why are you using beat police officers as truant officers when all other school districts in Illinois have regular traditional truant officers, which cost much less and don't draw policing services away from high crime areas?" When Emanuel refused to answer this question the first time it was called out, it was finally given to mayor aide Beth Swanson, who had not answered it as of the early evening of December 13, 2011.
The second question would have been: "Mayor Emanuel, as you know in August you said your team, led by Mr. Brizard, had cut what you called "bureaucracy" by $400 million at CPS when in fact what you cut was school level service, including security. How many people were arrested at Kelvyn Park High School last Monday during the roiling gang fights at that school (where you had eliminated half the security aides who knew the community when school opened in September)?"
32 homicides have been logged so far in December. Police recorded 25 homicides in December last year, RedEye found
36 homicides have been logged so far in November. Police recorded 32 homicides in November last year, RedEye found
October ended this week with 44 homicides, up from 35 homicides recorded in October last year, RedEye data shows.
Meanwhile, September ended last week with 38 homicides, up from 31 homicides in September last year, according to RedEye data.
http://homicides.redeyechicago.com/...
Substance has asked a veteran school security official with CPS for the Kelvyn Park December 5 and December 6 gang arrest information, and will continue to search CPS and City of Chicago data bases to find the answers as well.
According to Mayor Emanuel, CPS CompStat will taken place on a regular basis, and will involve police district officials and principals.
A press release issued by the Mayor's Press Office following the event stated:
MAYOR EMANUEL ATTENDS FIRST JOINT SCHOOL-BASED COMPSTAT MEETING WITH CPD SUPERINTENDENT MCCARTHY AND CPS CEO BRIZARD
Mayor announces both curfew enforcement and school attendance numbers are up
Mayor Rahm Emanuel today attended the first school-based CompStat meeting with Police Superintendent Garry McCarthy and Chicago Public Schools CEO JC Brizard. The meeting focused on five high schools in Area One with the discussion centered on policing strategies designed to increase safety and reduce crime in and around schools.
“School officials are working directly with police to respond to the concerns of school leaders on the ground,” said Mayor Emanuel. “With this multilayered approach to crime reduction, quality of life improvement, personnel and resource management, we are centralizing ties to promote safety in our schools.”
During the meeting, Mayor Emanuel announced that curfew enforcement numbers are up by 15 percent since the new curfew ordinance went into effect in September. “From September through November, we have cited 15% more young people for curfew violation compared to the same time period last year. We are doing everything we can to ensure that our children are safe inside and outside of school so that they are able to learn and achieve,” Emanuel added.
In addition, it was also noted that attendance is up from 91 to 93% as a result of anti-truancy programs.
The five high schools discussed in the CompStat meeting were located in the 007th and the 008th Districts (Area One). They are:
• William R. Harper High School, 6520 S. Wood
• John Hope College Prep, 5515 S. Lowe
• Paul Robeson High School, 6835 S. Normal
• Gage Park High School, 5630 S. Rockwell
• John F. Kennedy High School, 6325 W. 56th Street
During the CompStat meeting, District Commanders discussed crime statistics both within the schools and within a half mile radius of the school during the time period from November 7 – December 4, 2011. Commanders also discussed their school safety plans, how and where they are being implemented, and the results of implementation to date. The principals highlighted school statistics, discussed successful strategies they have each used in reducing incidents and improving attendance at their schools.
Mayor Emanuel stated that school-based CompStat is unique from the CompStat program used by CPD to fight and prevent crime because it gives educators and the police department a more complete picture of the environment.
”School-based CompStat will help CPS and the Police Department in our shared efforts to ensure the wellbeing of our children by reducing crime near our schools so that can they focus on their education, not their safety,” said CPS CEO JC Brizard. “We will continue to look for innovative ways keep our children safe and secure, while walking to and from school, as well as while they’re in school.”
Accountability benchmarks for school-based CompStat will be determined and reviewed on a daily, weekly, 28-day, and yearly basis.
“CompStat is a proven crime fighting strategy that focuses on efficient policing and accountability,” said Superintendent Garry McCarthy. “Applying this data-driven approach to our schools and enhancing our work with the principals will help us better allocate our resources and keep our children safe.”
In addition to CompStat, the Emanuel Administration has made a number of investments, to ensure the safety of Chicago’s children in schools and in their communities, most notably the school-based Culture of Calm Program. Over 44,000 students are served through the program, which serves to reduce misconduct and disruptive behavior at 38 CPS schools with high safety needs. CPS will fully fund it at $16.6 million next year. CPS has also invested in school safety by:
· Increasing the number of school security officers at the request of its principals due to crime in their surrounding areas and major incidents at their schools;
· Committing $7 million to install a state of the art security camera system at 14 schools; and
· Maintaining Safe Passage funding at $10 million.
Recently, The New York Times took a close look at the Happy Talk coming out of New York City's police and discovered a lot of the "data" were skewed by under-reporting of crime. To anyone who watched the fictional rendition of the same praxis in "The Wire" nearly ten years ago, this was no surprise. But it became news in New York as 2011 limped towards 2012. The Times story appeared at the end of 2011, in the print edition and on line on December 31, 2011.
NYPD Leave Offenses Off the Books to Keep Crime Rates Down
Jill Korber walked into a drab police station in Queens in July to report that a passing bicyclist had groped her two days in a row. She left in tears, frustrated, she said, by the response of the first officer she encountered.
“He told me it would be a waste of time, because I didn’t know who the guy was or where he worked or anything,” said Ms. Korber, 34, a schoolteacher. “His words to me were, ‘These things happen.’ He said those words.”
Crime victims in New York sometimes struggle to persuade the police to write down what happened on an official report. The reasons are varied. Police officers are often busy, and few relish paperwork. But in interviews, more than half a dozen police officers, detectives and commanders also cited departmental pressure to keep crime statistics low.
continued..........
http://www.nytimes.com/...
CROSS POSTED @ http://www.substancenews.net/...
Juking the Stats