Norman Police Department (NPD) joined CPE’s National Justice Database project in July 2018. 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 January 1, 2016 – June 30, 2020.
Norman, OK 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 Norman, Oklahoma is 72% White, 8% Latinx, 6.9% Multiple Racial Groups, 4.8% Asian, 4.7% Black, 3.6% Native, and 0.1% Native Hawaiian or Pacific Islander. The total population of Norman, Oklahoma is 120,710.
RESIDENT DEMOGRAPHICS
USE OF FORCE
The number of use of force incidents recorded each year with complete data varied from a low of 49 in 2016 to a high of 65 in 2019.
USE OF FORCE INCIDENTS PER YEAR
17% of all use of force incidents recorded between 2016 and 2020 were against Black people, who made up 4.7% of the population of Norman.
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 3.4 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 50% of the frequency of use of force, while 50% was not explained by these factors.
PERCENTAGE OF INCIDENT FREQUENCY EXPLAINED BY NEIGHBORHOOD FACTORS
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 Norman Police Department. Justice Navigator, justicenavigator.org.