We provide expert statistical services to attorneys, including both defense attorneys and prosecutors. We contract with bar advocates and public defenders at a rate approved by Massachusetts' Committee on Public Counsel Services (CPCS). Many of these cases have involved the question of police bias, specifically racial profiling.
Critique of Report on Auto Stops and Race in MA
This short .pdf piece explains why statistical errors undermine confidence in the report published by Salem State University and Worcester State University, February 7, 2022. Their anonymous report presumes to show whether racial bias occurs, either in police decisions about which motorists to stop or in which types of citations to issue to the drivers stopped. The report was disseminated by the MA Executive Office of Public Safety and Security (EOPSS), apparently without any vetting as to the soundness of the methods used.
A condensed version of this critique was published as a letter to the editor of Mass. Lawyers Weekly, April 8, 2022. For subscribers, https://masslawyersweekly.com/2022/04/08/letter-statistician-points-to-shortcomings-in-traffic-stop-report/.
This short .pdf piece explains why statistical errors undermine confidence in the report published by Salem State University and Worcester State University, February 7, 2022. Their anonymous report presumes to show whether racial bias occurs, either in police decisions about which motorists to stop or in which types of citations to issue to the drivers stopped. The report was disseminated by the MA Executive Office of Public Safety and Security (EOPSS), apparently without any vetting as to the soundness of the methods used.
A condensed version of this critique was published as a letter to the editor of Mass. Lawyers Weekly, April 8, 2022. For subscribers, https://masslawyersweekly.com/2022/04/08/letter-statistician-points-to-shortcomings-in-traffic-stop-report/.
Analyzing for Bias in Traffic-Stop Cases: Video Presentations
Each of the videos below describes an aspect of analyzing for bias or racial profiling in police traffic stops. These presentations consider issues arising from the decision in Commonwealth v. Long (485 Mass. 711, 2020). (Last updated May 9, 2022; found still applicable Nov. 7, 2022.)
Each video is 3-7 minutes long and assumes no prior statistical background.
Session 1. How might we assess, statistically, whether a pattern of law enforcement is biased?
Session 2. What to expect from official MA data on police stops
Session 3. Statistical Significance: Concepts
Session 4. Statistical Significance: Choosing a Threshold
Session 5. Controlling for Many Factors