Investigators with the New York City Police Department's Internal Affairs have not substantiated any of the 2,495 complaints of biased policing it's received since it began tracking the allegations in 2014, according to a scathing report issued by a city watchdog Wednesday. By last year, it said the department had already closed 1,918 of the investigations.

Almost a year after Oregon state Rep. Janelle Bynum’s story of being questioned by police after a 911 call on her as she campaigned in her district went viral and sparked the hashtag #CampaigningWhileBlack, Oregon state senators have passed a bill that would allow the victims of frivolous, discriminatory 911 calls to sue the callers.

What if science could eliminate racial bias in policing? Today, this question was answered by the Center for Policing Equity (CPE) as the focus of its big idea funded through The Audacious Project. The $30 million of support that has been committed to CPE will be used to further enhance COMPSTAT for Justice, a data tool that tracks police behavior to help law enforcement agencies reduce racial disparities in policing.

Today, ahead of Super Bowl LIII, the Players Coalition Charitable Foundation awarded $350,000 to Center for Policing Equity (CPE).

Players Coalition Charitable Foundation, is a collective of both current and former National Football League (NFL) players focused on raising awareness around critical social justice and racial equity issues. Center for Policing Equity, is a research and action think tank, that takes an evidence-based approach to social justice. Specifically, CPE uses advanced analytics to diagnose disparities in policing, and shed light on police behavior.

“At Center for Policing Equity, we know that racism is more than a closely-held belief. It’s the accumulation of behaviors that result in unfair policing outcomes—usually for Black and Brown communities and especially the youth. By looking at racism as a behavior, we can measure it and find solutions to address it,” said Dr. Phillip Atiba Goff, Co-founder and CEO of Center for Policing Equity. The grant will allow CPE to further enhance COMPSTAT for Justice, a data tool that tracks police behavior to help law enforcement agencies to reduce racial disparities in policing. COMPSTAT for Justice also tracks police stops, uses of force data, and survey data. By combining these data with census data and other geospatial data, CPE can pinpoint and differentiate the portion of racial disparities police cannot control (e.g., poverty) and the portion they can (e.g., policies).

“We know from our research that Black and Brown boys are more likely to be stopped by police and are the targets of disproportionate uses of force,” added Dr. Goff. “Players Coalition has helped place this issue at the forefront of public consciousness. We are thankful to Players Coalition Charitable Foundation for their generous support.” “Our communities desire better relationships with law enforcement,” said Doug Baldwin, Players Coalition Task Force Member and wide receiver for the Seattle Seahawks. “We know CPE’s ability to help build these relationships through the use of data analyses and behavioral science. We look forward to working with them to continue to help communities and departments understand the sources of racial disparity and advocate for reforms that reduce it.”

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Today, Dr. Phillip Atiba Goff, president and co-founder of the Center for Policing Equity, released the following statement about the fatal shooting of 22-year-old Stephan Clark:

“Yet another young Black man with a bright future lost his life on Sunday at the hands of a police officer."

Details are still being released, but one thing is clear – the community demands and should have answers. As the good people of the Sacramento Police Department already know, relationships in the criminal justice system are built by trust in it, not fear of it.

“I send my condolences to the family of Stephan Clark and pray for healing and more dialogue. These ugly incidents did not go away just because the nation stopped paying attention to them. And they will not go away in the dark. As many in the nation stand up to end gun violence and sexual harassment, so too must we do the hard work of democracy in the area of policing. Leaders in policing and communities must keep the lights shining on the work we have left to do in order to ensure that public safety serves the public safely.”

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FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE July 28, 2017

CONTACT: Safiya Jafari Simmons,

NEW YORK, NY -- Today, Dr. Phillip Atiba Goff, president and co-founder of the Center for Policing Equity, released the following statement in response to President Trump's remarks delivered today in New York:

"Today's statement by President Trump encourages communities to be less trusting of police by supporting police injustice. By suggesting that police punish 'bad guys' before they have even been tried in court, the President's address implied a disrespect for the rule of law. The police chiefs and officers I've spoken to are disgusted, by the President's statements -- and the applause." 

"Unchecked police force is not tough. It is not 'manly' and it does not reduce crime. What it does accomplish is to make crime victims less likely to call 911 for help because they fear how police will treat them. And when someone fears calling the police, it is not just a threat to their own safety, it is a threat to the safety of those they might otherwise have tried to help. If I am attacked on the street, I surely hope those who see it will feel safe calling the police to protect me. Today's statements by the President are dangerous because they make that less likely."

Punitive force by any member of law enforcement is potentially a precursor to violence against the next officer encountering that individual. Excessive force dehumanizes all involved, both police and public. "The bottom line is this: We are all less safe when any of us does not trust the police. Police know this. We work hard with dedicated women and men in blue who commit their lives to earning the trust of neighborhoods long skeptical of police power. And with so many communities and law enforcement agencies trying so hard to improve trust and stem the tide of negative officer-involved incidents, the last thing anyone needs is their efforts being undermined by the nation's Commander-in-Chief."

Today, the Center for Policing Equity released the following statement on the resignation of Minneapolis Police Chief Janee Harteau:

"Having partnered with the Minneapolis Police Department for several years, we are hopeful that Minneapolis Mayor Betsy Hodges' request for the resignation of Police Chief Janee Harteau is accompanied by a deepening commitment to the reforms already begun in the department. This course correction should include an acceleration of some of the changes that were already in place: improvement in data collection; training on implicit bias; and analytics that target solutions for racial disparities in policing.

Unexpected changes are inevitable in the pursuit of reform. Minneapolis is one of the cities in the National Initiative to Build Community Trust and Justice, and as a result, one of the cities in our National Justice Database. It was the face of police reform in Minnesota, and announcements like this often have the unintended consequence of slowing progress.

We hope this development does not become a setback for the values of equality, justice, and science-based reform that Minneapolis has moved to embrace."

On Sunday morning, two Seattle police officers shot and killed Charleena Lyles in her apartment. She was pregnant, and three of her four children were home. She called the police to report a burglary. 

Read more.

Chris Burbank, a former police chief and director of law enforcement engagement at the Center for Policing Equity, told Rewire he fears the [Back the Blue Act] would do the exact opposite of what proponents claim: protect police, deter crime, and build police-community relations. Read more here.