I don't want to get into an argument about the pay of the SPPD compared to the NYPD. I would like to point out that one must be cautious when using statistics and common sense. I would like people to consider mathematical sense, especially when dealing with percentage-like quantities such rates given in tems of values per thousand. (They are not percentages because that term refers to values per 100.)
Bob Parker writes: "I just wanted to add additional rebuttal to Russ' "common sense."
New York City Police Department 2003: 37,000 officers, Approximately 1 per 190 citizens, with a violent crime rate of 7.3 per 1000
St Paul PD 2000: 321 officers, Approximately 1 per 1000 citizens, with a violent crime rate of 12.3 per 1000."
Translating these numbers into quantities means that there are: 58,400 cirmes in NY assuming a populace of 8 million and 3,690 crimes in St. Paul assuming a populace of 300,000.
Thus, the "common sense" approach says, my G-d, look at all the crime in NY. But the statistics say that crime is distributed over a much larger population. In a way, both perceptions could be correct. But both would be abusive use of statistics because the statistics don't take into consideration things such as the area covered by individual officiers, the number of day only residents (ie tranient workers), and probably innumerable other factors. Until these additional factors are considered, then the following statement is probably true:
-There are liars, damn liars, and statisticians.-
So beware of arguing by using rates without giving totals.
Mike Schoenberg
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