Studies

Research on racial bias in policing

“How the racial composition of schools shapes SROs' perceptions of threats."

“Over 70% of black and brown boys in our sample reported being hassled by police in the last 3 months."

“People of color receive more serious charges at the initial booking stage, reflecting decisions made by officers of the San Francisco Police Department."

“Police discretion enables officers to make decisions based partially on stereo-types and reputations, resulting in overselection of people of color in stops and arrests. In addition… White youth tend to receive more second chances [than] youth of color."

“For a sample of Syracuse Police stop data… The odds of a black driver being stopped (relative to nonblack drivers) increase 15% in daylight [when race is more easily observed] as compared to darkness."

“Cases involving African-American offenders and African-American victims were 3.9% less likely to be cleared than similar cases involving white victims and white offenders… Racial disparities in police clearance of violent criminal cases remain troublesome."

“Forty years after the seminal report by the 1967 President’s Commission on Law Enforcement and the Administration of Justice, the black-white dichotomy remains one of the most prominent features of public sentiments toward and perceptions of the police."

“The research above highlights the potentially widespread effects of implicit racial biases in policing… [Police] may be more inclined to pay particular attention to non-White individuals when they are on patrol."

(thread describing forthcoming work):