“Incorrect racial identification impacts the department’s data collection,” among other issues, according to the NYPD.
The NYPD found it necessary last week to issue instructions reminding its officers that crime suspects of Indian heritage are to be classified as Asian, not American Indian.
Commissioner Ray Kelly released a memo on Monday that addressed a recurring issue with “incorrect racial identification.” In several cases flagged by the department’s Quality Assurance Division, officers mistakenly identified Indian people as American Indian or alternately identified them as Asian and American Indian.
“Incorrect racial identification impacts the department’s data collection, results in inaccurate information being reported by the department and can affect the subject of the reports,” the memo read.
“Like any large organization we regularly post internal memos reminding employees of the importance of uniformity when preparing official documents,” Deputy Commissioner John McCarthy told the Daily News.
