Newington, CT - Today, the Center for Policing Equity (CPE) and Newington Police Department (NPD) announced the release of the NPD Justice Navigator Assessment. NPD proactively joined CPE’s National Justice Database in October 2017. NPD shared data with CPE in order to receive analyses intended to support community and law enforcement collaboration on data-informed efforts to enhance equity in public safety. The assessment, which identifies racial disparities in police interactions with the community, is the first in a series of publications of policing data from departments serving jurisdictions across the state of Connecticut.
All assessments are housed within CPE’s Justice Navigator, an interactive digital platform that provides streamlined access to public safety analyses, policy insights, and community resources. The analysis is a step in a collaborative process between municipal leaders and community members in an effort to build and support more equitable public safety systems.
“The Newington Police Department is proud of our partnership with the Center for Policing Equity and the work that has been done over the past five years to ensure fairness in our policing practices and equity in the workplace,” said Newington Police Chief Stephen Clark. “Through this collaboration, the values of the Newington Police Department have been enhanced, resulting in a positive impact on our service to the community. The results of the Justice Navigator Assessment are the first step toward making the necessary changes to ensure public confidence. The department is committed to working with the Center for Policing Equity to identify all locally relevant variables that affect traffic enforcement and use of force outcomes. I am very proud of the work that our employees do each and every day; their dedication to the profession, commitment to department values, and willingness to adapt to the changes that need to take place to ensure policing equity.”
"We are pleased to release this assessment which results from a culmination of collaborative efforts with the Newington Police Department,” said Michael Burbank, CPE Vice President of Law Enforcement Initiatives. “The Justice Navigator provides communities and law enforcement agencies with the tools to implement meaningful data-driven interventions. We look forward to our continued work with the city of Newington and its residents as they thoughtfully refine and develop truly safe public safety systems that serve all residents."
NPD’s assessment is the result of a thorough analysis of use of force data from 2013 - 2019, vehicle stop data from 2017 - 2019, and calls for service and officer activity from 2017 - 2019. A few key findings from Newington PD’s assessment include:
- The number of use of force incidents recorded each year varied from a low of 20 in 2013 to a high of 54 in 2019. In those incidents, 17% of all use of force incidents recorded between 2013 and 2019 were against Black people, who made up 5.2% of the population of Newington, Connecticut. 25% of all use of force incidents recorded between 2013 and 2019 were against Latinx people, who made up 9.5% of the population of Newington, Connecticut.
- The total number of vehicle stops recorded each year varied from a high of 5,388 in 2017 to a low of 3,690 in 2018. Once stopped, Black drivers were searched 3.2 times as often as White drivers, and Latinx drivers were searched 3.1 times as often as White drivers.
- Newington police officers recorded 70,737 total calls for service and related events between 2017 - 2019. Of these events, 6.9% involved Bodily Harm, Property Harm, or Threats. 34% of calls for service that officers responded to involved requests for “Public Assistance,” such as aiding motorists and animal complaints. Roughly 481 events were recorded as involving individuals experiencing mental health crises.
CPE will present key findings from Newington’s assessment and discuss areas for further exploration in a public event on Wednesday, February 22nd, from 6:00 - 7:30 PM Eastern Standard Time. Register for the presentation event: Newington Justice Navigator Public Rollout.
CPE will also host a Community Roundtable on Friday, February 24th, from 6:00 - 7:30 PM Eastern Standard Time at the Mortensen Community Center in Newington, Connecticut. Register for the Community Roundtable: Newington Community Roundtable.