Cange analyzes Baltimore perceptions of law enforcement


Earlier this month, a report was released by the West Baltimore Community Commission on Police Misconduct and The No Boundaries Coalition based off of a quantitative study of 1,500 Sandtown-Winchester residents about their interactions with police. The report, titled Over-Policed, Yet Underserved: The People’s Findings Regarding Police Misconduct in West Baltimore is released at a time when the U.S. Justice Department is conducting investigations into police misconduct within many urban police forces.

Charles Cange, a visiting lecturer in health, administration, and policy, is a research consultant for the commission and classified the data that was collected during the study. The report received widespread media coverage in both national and local news outlets. A complete list can be found below.

Cange told The New York Times that the interviewers in the study “identified ‘common themes,’ including perceptions of racism in law enforcement and feelings of resentment toward the police.” He explained to The Guardian that the study is “purposive sampling, based on the purpose of the research which is very different than random sampling. We’re going out to find people who have these stories, because that’s the research question.”

The findings from the report will be released to the U.S. Department of Justice as it completes an investigation into the city’s police department and is one of the first community-led reports that will be included. As part of the study, Cange worked closely with Nick Jacobsen, a master’s student in sociology, who provided analytic support during the research process.

Media coverage:

Image: Photo by Carde Cornish. All rights reserved by West Baltimore Commission on Police Misconduct. 

Posted: March 30, 2016, 2:52 PM