NCJ Number
152672
Journal
Police Studies Volume: 17 Issue: 1 Dated: (Spring 1994) Pages: 1-12
Date Published
1994
Length
12 pages
Annotation
This study examined the extent to which there are racial differences in getting hassled by the police, i.e., being stopped or watched by police without being a suspect in any crime.
Abstract
The study also explored respondents' experience of knowing someone else who had been hassled by police. Data were collected from telephone interviews conducted with 103 black and 136 white residents of Cincinnati, Ohio, residing in three predominantly black neighborhoods, three white neighborhoods, and three racially mixed neighborhoods. The results showed that nearly 47 percent of blacks had been personally hassled by police, and another 66 percent knew someone who had been hassled; figures for white respondents were 10 and 12 percent, respectively. While the data suggest police surveillance is discriminatory, other explanations that may account for the variance include differential sensitivity to police surveillance, differential patrol practices, and police officers' occupational socialization to respond to racially based cues. 3 tables and 22 references