About

Residents Count publishes analyses of public-safety and policy data, city by city. Each report measures who is affected as a rate per resident, tests the explanations the data allows, and says plainly what the data cannot show.

Who writes it

Reports are researched and written by Martin Ngoh, a senior data scientist who builds machine learning and data systems in production. He holds an M.S. in Business Analytics from Georgetown University and a B.S. from Virginia Commonwealth University.

Who publishes it, and what else it makes

Residents Count is published and paid for by Specta LLC, a small company Martin Ngoh runs. It carries no advertising.

The Policing in DC series first appeared on Justice Lens, an earlier Specta publication on the same subject. Specta also makes Lease Screener, which reviews leases for renters. Reports here don't promote it.

Every analysis uses public data, and its code is published so anyone can check it.

How reports are written

The voice is neutral. Findings state what the data shows, name the groups being compared, and say what the analysis did not explain. Results are reported whichever way they point. Methods has the details.

The name

Every rate here is divided by the people who live in a place: its residents. They are the denominator in every report.

Contact

Questions, corrections and data tips: martin@spectahq.com.