Studies

Research on racial bias in policing

“While implicit bias training can help some officers, the little evidence we have indicates it only helps officers who come in already less inclined toward racism. Bias training isn’t effective on cops who are aware of and comfortable with their racial stereotypes."

“Law enforcement spokespeople frequently publish highly misleading or sometimes false information about the people they have killed… Police cited vague ‘medical emergencies’ without disclosing that officers had caused the emergencies."

Evaluations of protesters “were significantly more supportive when participants were exposed to news coverage with the debate frame than when participants were exposed to news coverage with the confrontation or riot frames. Debate-framed articles also increased the negative assessment of police behavior."

“States with more police killings of unarmed black people in 2013–2018 had higher Black–White PTB [preterm birth] disparities in 2018 compared to states with fewer killings… Police killings may have spillover effects, specifically by adversely affecting the mental health of Black people."

“Representation matters. Cities with majority-black city councils experience less assertive policing… White and black drivers alike are less likely to be searched after a traffic stop. While these differences affect both whites and blacks, they are more pronounced among black drivers."

“Youth were more likely to belong to the high PI-PTSS [Police-initiated post-traumatic stress symptomatology] class if they were stopped by the police three or more times, were Black, and were living below poverty or near poverty. These findings highlight the intersection of race, income, over-policing and mental health."

“Participants who reported more benevolent sexism thought the suspect was more feminine, but this association was only statistically significant when the suspect was White (vs. Black). Perceived femininity, in turn, predicted perceptions the suspect felt more pain and was less blameworthy for the [police brutality] situation."

“Our results suggest that among Black individuals, complaints about excessive use of force by police in the neighborhood are associated with increased odds of PTB [preterm birth], even after controlling for individual and community characteristics."