Police: Census worker abused

[FR7 Baptist]

A Chapel Hill man was arrested after allegedly holding a U.S. Census worker against his will.

James T. Brewer, 61, 3026 Highway 270, was arrested and charged with aggravated assault and false imprisonment.

Travis Ryder, 20, told deputies Brewer became aggressive toward him when he went to Brewer’s home June 9 to collect Census information. The victim alleged Brewer was aggressive toward him and took the identification badge from his neck, tore up his census documents and took the keys from his truck, according to an incident report.

The report states Brewer then took Ryder to an outbuilding on his property, melted a Coca-Cola can with a blow torch and asked the census worker if he knew what physical injury the blow torch would do to his hand.

Ryder told authorities throughout the ordeal Brewer acted as if he had a weapon in his pocket and told him that no more census workers should come to his home or “they might not leave.”

Brewer later told authorities he was only trying to scare the worker, saying four others had already been to his home and “he was tired of it.”

He was released from Marshall County Jail after posting $8,500 bond.

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[targus]

HEADLINE - Crazy person does crazy thing !!!

Really now, why should this be a surprise to anyone?

The general population includes some not so stable people - many of whom are recluse and find safety in their personal home and feel threatened when a stranger - any stranger - shows up at the door.

If census workers are going to every single household - sometimes multiple times - why is it surprising that a census worker here or there should encounter someone who is not stable?

And why did they keep going back to this same address - four times?

Why didn't they collect their information from neighbors - like we keep hearing they are supposed to do? What was the attraction to this individual?

BTW - I just love that they had to throw in the obligatory "personal information is not given out" line. Like that is believable.

That's what the government does - uses our personal information for their personal ends.

Does anyone remember the guy that Clinton had working in the basement going through stacks of "confidential" FBI files on his enemies?

 

[ReformedBaptist]

I still can't figure out why the census workers called me and asked me if my children looked hispanic. I told him his questiosn were stupid, beyond the scope of the law and constitution, could be construed and racial profiling, and that I refused to answer his lame questions.

 

[John Toppass]

They have come to my house 4 times, once by a couple of women and 3 times by a "supervisor". Each time I told them I had completed and sent in the information that the law required me to share and I did not care to be counted twice.

 

[FR7 Baptist]

They have come to my house 4 times, once by a couple of women and 3 times by a "supervisor". Each time I told them I had completed and sent in the information that the law required me to share and I did not care to be counted twice.

I encountered similar situations a few times where the resident said they mailed it but it was still on the non-response list. If you mailed it after the cut-off date, you'll still be on the non-response list. It's just a function of the fact that the lists for non-response follow-up had to be prepared by late April for us to start on 4/27. You should complete the form with the enumerator. Assuming they received the form you sent by mail, they check for duplicates and will only count the one completed with the enumerator. If there are discrepancies between the two forms, they will follow-up with you later, probably by phone, to find out what the correct information is. Also, for forms completed with the enumerator, quality control checks 10% of them by contacting the resident by phone and the NRFU-RI people check 2% of them in person also as a quality control measure to ensure an accurate count.

 

[targus]

I encountered similar situations a few times where the resident said they mailed it but it was still on the non-response list. If you mailed it after the cut-off date, you'll still be on the non-response list. It's just a function of the fact that the lists for non-response follow-up had to be prepared by late April for us to start on 4/27. You should complete the form with the enumerator. Assuming they received the form you sent by mail, they check for duplicates and will only count the one completed with the enumerator. If there are discrepancies between the two forms, they will follow-up with you later, probably by phone, to find out what the correct information is. Also, for forms completed with the enumerator, quality control checks 10% of them by contacting the resident by phone and the NRFU-RI people check 2% of them in person also as a quality control measure to ensure an accurate count.

All of that is really nice for you - having been provided with a detailed step by step explanation of the process - including dates, form names and buzz words.

But to the average citizen who completed and mailed the form on time the multiple visits and phone calls amount to nothing less than harrassement.

Especially considering that you seem to have different instructions for different situations - for example it seems that the rules for lower income areas (according to what I have heard anyway) are much more lax - almost to the point where the census worker just gets to make up a number to assign to certain types of households such as low income areas or minority areas.

No doubt the explanation is that the government wants to make sure that particular demographics are not undercounted and are willing to overcount them instead.

 

[Jon-Marc]

I personally knew a paranoid woman who saw, heard, and smelled things that weren't there. Such people can be very dangerous. At the VA where I worked, one huge man put his hand on my shoulder, looked down at me from his lofty perch and said, "You put a contract out on me didn't you?" Another time he accused me of messing with his woman. These paranoid people believe that what goes on in their warped mind is true. Fortunately, I was able to convince the paranoid walking mountain that it wasn't me who did those things. Another paranoid man at that VA accused me of following him.

I was never sent anything to fill out and mail back; two young women came to my home.

 

[FR7 Baptist]

Especially considering that you seem to have different instructions for different situations - for example it seems that the rules for lower income areas (according to what I have heard anyway) are much more lax - almost to the point where the census worker just gets to make up a number to assign to certain types of households such as low income areas or minority areas.

That simply isn't true. All information must come from a resident or, if the resident refuses or can't be contacted, a knowledgeable respondent who knows the Census Day status of the housing unit. I can't turn in an EQ without an interview with a resident or the name, address, and telephone of a proxy respondent.

 

[targus]

That simply isn't true. All information must come from a resident or, if the resident refuses or can't be contacted, a knowledgeable respondent who knows the Census Day status of the housing unit. I can't turn in an EQ without an interview with a resident or the name, address, and telephone of a proxy respondent.

So why did they keep going back to this house?

Why didn't they just contact a proxy resident?

I believe that you have previously stated that you accept information from neighbors. Why didn't they do the same in this situation?

 

[FR7 Baptist]

So why did they keep going back to this house?

Why didn't they just contact a proxy resident?

I believe that you have previously stated that you accept information from neighbors. Why didn't they do the same in this situation?

I don't know. I don't even know why they went back. You're asking me to explain something I don't have knowledge of.

 

[FR7 Baptist]

Here are the remaining phases of the 2010 Census:

Non-response Follow-up (NRFU)- This is the big one that's still going on in some areas. My area is finished, however. It's pronounced nar-foo.

Matching, Review and Coding System (MaRCS)- In this phase, Census Clerks will match up forms to avoid duplication in cases where multiple forms were received from the same Housing Unit (HU). They also check addresses against the Master Address File (MAF). MaRCS also involves making sure everyone was covered.

NRFU Re-interview (NRFU-RI)- Currently ongoing. NRFU-RI Enumerators re-interview 2% of HUs that responded during NRFU as a quality control measure.

Vacant/Delete Check (VDC)- This is scheduled to start July 2 in my area. I'll probably be working this phase as my Crew Leader recommended me for it at the top of the list. I'll find out for sure next week. In this phase, VDC Enumerators verify that HUs listed as vacant or delete during NRFU were actually vacant or non-existant. I'm not sure, but I've heard that we're also going to be interviewing people who mailed in blank or incomplete forms, as well as those we wren't able to enumerate during NRFU.

Coverage Follow-up- In this phase, Census workers will follow-up with those who indicated they sometimes live or stay somewhere else to ensure people are not counted in more than one place as well as if there discrepancies on the Census form.

Field Verification- In this phase, Field Verification Enumerators verify the existence of HUs that were added during Address Canvassing or NRFU and were determined during MaRCS that they do not match an address in the MAF.

Census Coverage Measurement (CCM)- This is the final phase of the 2010 Census. CCM Enumerators will interview a small sample of HUs in order to develop data that is used to determine how accurate the Census was. This is conducted independently of other Census operations.

 

[FR7 Baptist]

It's official. I'm going to be working on the Vacant/Delete Check operation starting July 1. :thumbs:

 

[annsni]

Congratulations Paul!!

I have to say, people just don't realize that it's not just a "how many people are in your house" kind of thing here. With people giving false information, not giving any information or giveing wrong information, it's a huge job for the government to try to be as accurate as possible. Thanks for the explanation of where you are at this point in the census project!

 

[carpro]

They have come to my house 4 times, once by a couple of women and 3 times by a "supervisor". Each time I told them I had completed and sent in the information that the law required me to share and I did not care to be counted twice.

Unfortunately many census workers are incompetent boobs, but what little common sense they might have is buried under a mountain of bureaucratic nonsense and a politicaly correct approach to taking the census.

 

[FR7 Baptist]

Unfortunately many census are incompetent boobs, but what little common sense they might have is buried under a mountain of bureaucratic nonsense and a politicaly correct approach to taking the census.

My crew leader said I did a good job and I had the best performance numbers in my crew and she's going to give me a letter of recommendation to help in my search for another job when we're done. So I'm not an incompetent boob, but there were a few on our crew who were. They ended up getting released from the Federal civil service.

 

[carpro]

My crew leader said I did a good job and I had the best performance numbers in my crew and she's going to give me a letter of recommendation to help in my search for another job when we're done. So I'm not an incompetent boob, but there were a few on our crew who were. They ended up getting released from the Federal civil service.

Big fish in a little pond, I see.

 

[FR7 Baptist]

Big fish in a little pond, I see.

I'm glad you encouraged me to apply for this job in this post. http://www.baptistboard.com/showthread.php?p=1498831&highlight=census#post1498831

I've always strived to do a good job and I've got good reviews from every place I've ever worked. For example, I worked for a men's clothing store over the holidays last year, and my boss there said she would have hired me permanently if she needed someone on a permanent basis.