Elgin Police Department (EPD) joined CPE’s National Justice Database project in August 2019. EPD 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. This assessment analyzes use of force data from 2014-2019, vehicle stop data from 2017-2019, and pedestrian stop data from 2016-2019.
Elgin, IL 2021
SUMMARY OF FINDINGS
This assessment analyzes policing data, along with demographic and crime data, to identify which policing practices have patterns of racial disparities, and what factors may be contributing to those disparities.
Some key findings from the assessment are displayed below. These findings are described and explained in detail in the tabbed sections found at the top of this page. When viewing specific findings in each tab, readers can click the blue captions to filter results and scroll through supporting analyses to learn how we arrived at a finding.
DEPARTMENTAL CONTEXT
The population of Elgin, Illinois is 45% Latinx, 41% White, 6.2% Asian, 5.5% Black, 1.7% Multiple Racial Groups, and less than 0.05% Native. The total population of Elgin, Illinois is 112,497.
RESIDENT DEMOGRAPHICS
USE OF FORCE
The number of use of force incidents recorded each year with complete data varied from a high of 195 in 2016 to a low of 112 in 2019.
USE OF FORCE INCIDENTS PER YEAR
36% of all use of force incidents recorded between 2014 and 2019 were against Black people, who made up 5.5% of the population of Elgin, Illinois.
PERCENTAGE OF USE OF FORCE INCIDENTS, BY RACIAL GROUP, COMPARED TO POPULATION
Using a statistical technique called regression analysis, we found that taking into account the influence of neighborhood crime rates, poverty, and share of Black residents, Black people were subjected to force 11.5 times as often as White people.
RATES OF USE OF FORCE INCIDENTS AFTER ACCOUNTING FOR NEIGHBORHOOD CRIME RATES, POVERTY LEVELS, AND SHARE OF BLACK RESIDENTS
Statistical analysis showed that neighborhood crime rates, poverty, and share of Black residents explained 44% of the frequency of use of force, while 56% was not explained by these factors.
PERCENTAGE OF INCIDENT FREQUENCY EXPLAINED BY NEIGHBORHOOD FACTORS
VEHICLE STOPS
The total number of vehicle stops recorded each year varied from a high of 13,855 in 2017 to a low of 11,244 in 2019.
VEHICLE STOPS PER YEAR
Latinx drivers who were searched possessed contraband such as weapons, drugs, or stolen goods less frequently than White drivers.
CONTRABAND FOUND AND NOT FOUND IN VEHICLE STOP SEARCHES
Black drivers who were searched possessed contraband such as weapons, drugs, or stolen goods less frequently than White drivers.
CONTRABAND FOUND AND NOT FOUND IN VEHICLE STOP SEARCHES
Asian drivers who were searched were roughly equally likely as White drivers to possess contraband such as weapons, drugs, or stolen goods.
CONTRABAND FOUND AND NOT FOUND IN VEHICLE STOP SEARCHES
Once stopped, Black drivers were searched 4 times as often as White drivers.
SEARCH RATES AT VEHICLE STOPS
Once stopped, Latinx drivers were searched 2.4 times as often as White drivers.
SEARCH RATES AT VEHICLE STOPS
24% of stops of Black drivers were recorded as Equipment Stops and 7.3% were recorded as License / Registration Stops, compared to 16% and 5.6% of stops of White drivers.
PROPORTION OF VEHICLE STOPS OF EACH RACIAL GROUP THAT ARE MADE FOR EACH STOP REASON
23% of stops of Latinx drivers were recorded as Equipment Stops, compared to 16% of stops of White drivers.
PROPORTION OF VEHICLE STOPS OF EACH RACIAL GROUP THAT ARE MADE FOR EACH STOP REASON
Additionally, 78% of stops of White drivers were recorded as Moving Violations, compared to 70% of stops of Latinx drivers and 69% of stops of Black drivers.
PROPORTION OF VEHICLE STOPS OF EACH RACIAL GROUP THAT ARE MADE FOR EACH STOP REASON
Once stopped, Black drivers were arrested 3.2 times as often as White drivers. They were released with a warning or no action taken at similar rates to White drivers who were stopped.
PROPORTION OF VEHICLE STOPS OF EACH RACIAL GROUP THAT ENDED IN EACH OUTCOME
Once stopped, Latinx drivers were arrested 2.6 times as often as White drivers. They were released with a warning or no action taken at similar rates to White drivers who were stopped.
PROPORTION OF VEHICLE STOPS OF EACH RACIAL GROUP THAT ENDED IN EACH OUTCOME
PEDESTRIAN STOPS
The total number of pedestrian stops recorded each year ranged from a high of 512 in 2016 to a low of 108 in 2019.
PEDESTRIAN STOPS PER YEAR
Black people, who make up 5.5% of the population of Elgin, Illinois, made up 30% of all pedestrians stopped between 2016 and 2019.
PERCENTAGE OF PEDESTRIAN STOPS, BY RACIAL GROUP, COMPARED TO POPULATION
Using a statistical technique called regression analysis, we found that taking into account the influence of neighborhood crime rates, poverty, and share of Black residents, Black pedestrians were stopped 9 times as often as White pedestrians.
RATES OF PEDESTRIAN STOPS AFTER ACCOUNTING FOR NEIGHBORHOOD CRIME RATES, POVERTY LEVELS, AND SHARE OF BLACK RESIDENTS
Statistical analysis showed that neighborhood crime rates, poverty, and share of Black residents explained 46% of the frequency of pedestrian stops, while 54% was not explained by these factors.
PERCENTAGE OF STOP FREQUENCY EXPLAINED BY NEIGHBORHOOD FACTORS
CONTRABAND FOUND AND NOT FOUND IN PEDESTRIAN STOP SEARCHES
Once stopped, Latinx pedestrians were searched 1.7 times as often as White pedestrians.
RATIOS OF SEARCH RATES AT PEDESTRIAN STOPS
Once stopped, Black pedestrians were searched 1.6 times as often as White pedestrians.
RATIOS OF SEARCH RATES AT PEDESTRIAN STOPS
NEXT STEPS
Measure and monitor
Collecting and analyzing data can help you shed light on current problems and measure future progress.
Investigate to learn more
Learn as much as possible about the situations when a disparity occurs or is most severe, in order to understand how to address it.
Identify risk factors and develop targeted interventions
You can then address risk factors by improving written policies and partnering with the community to develop targeted interventions.
Share results
Visit the Justice Navigator homepage to learn more about how to share results and take action.
ACKNOWLEDGMENTS
Funding for this platform was provided by Google.org, Players Coalition, Joyce Foundation, Silicon Valley Community Foundation, and Lyda Hill Philanthropies. Funding for development of the National Justice Database infrastructure and the original analytic plan upon which these analyses are based was provided by the National Science Foundation, under awards led by Principal Investigators Phillip Atiba Goff, Jack Glaser, Amanda Geller, Steven Raphael, and Amelia Haviland.
Suggested citation: Center for Policing Equity (2021). Assessment of Elgin Police Department. Justice Navigator, justicenavigator.org.