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.
Newington, CT 2022
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.
Newington Police Department (NPD) joined CPE’s National Justice Database project 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. This assessment analyzes use of force data from 2013 -2019, vehicle stop data from 2017 – 2019, and calls for service and officer activity data from 2017-2019. NPD did not collect data on pedestrian stops during the assessment period.
DEPARTMENTAL CONTEXT
The population of Newington, Connecticut is 77% White, 9.5% Latinx, 5.6% Asian, 5.2% Black, 2.4% Multiple Racial Groups, 0.3% Other, and 0.2% Native. The total population of Newington, Connecticut is 30,323.
RESIDENT DEMOGRAPHICS
USE OF FORCE
The number of use of force incidents recorded each year with complete data varied from a low of 20 in 2013 to a high of 54 in 2019.
USE OF FORCE INCIDENTS PER YEAR
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.
PERCENTAGE OF USE OF FORCE INCIDENTS, BY RACIAL GROUP, COMPARED TO POPULATION
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.
PERCENTAGE OF USE OF FORCE INCIDENTS, BY RACIAL GROUP, COMPARED TO POPULATION
VEHICLE STOPS
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.
VEHICLE STOPS PER YEAR
There were 111 searches of Black people, 151 searches of Latinx people, and 123 searches of White people that did not result in the discovery of contraband.
CONTRABAND FOUND AND NOT FOUND IN VEHICLE STOP SEARCHES
Once stopped, Black drivers were searched 3.2 times as often as White drivers.
SEARCH RATES AT VEHICLE STOPS
Once stopped, Latinx drivers were searched 3.1 times as often as White drivers.
SEARCH RATES AT VEHICLE STOPS
23% of stops of Black drivers were recorded as Equipment Stops, compared to 17% of stops of White drivers.
PROPORTION OF VEHICLE STOPS OF EACH RACIAL GROUP THAT ARE MADE FOR EACH STOP REASON
25% of stops of Latinx drivers were recorded as Equipment Stops, compared to 17% of stops of White drivers.
PROPORTION OF VEHICLE STOPS OF EACH RACIAL GROUP THAT ARE MADE FOR EACH STOP REASON
Once stopped, Black drivers were arrested 2.3 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 2.1 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
CALLS FOR SERVICE AND OFFICER ACTIVITY
Police recorded 70,737 total events in 2017 - 2019, including Officer-Initiated Activities and police responses to Calls for Service. 6.9% of these events involved Bodily Harm, Property Harm, or Threats. All Other Events involved no report of Bodily Harm, Property Harm, or Threats.
PERCENTAGE OF CALLS FOR SERVICE AND OFFICER ACTIVITY BY EVENT TYPE
There were 481 recorded mental health events, which represent some incidents that may be better addressed using appropriate non-police responders or co-response models.
Officers engaged in 481 events that were recorded as involving individuals experiencing mental health crises.
Center for Policing Equity | Data provided by Newington City PD
POLICY FOUNDATIONS FOR EQUITABLE POLICING
Newington participated in the Policy Foundations for Equitable Policing program to gain an introductory analysis of core departmental policies to reduce the risk of biased policing. CPE analyzed Newington’s General Orders, stop and use of force reporting forms, and the departmental web page to produce the Policy Foundations Report and its social-science-informed recommendations for equitable policing.
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 (2022). Newington Police Department. Justice Navigator, justicenavigator.org.
