Vignettes describing police misconduct were used with the factorial survey method to study the extent to which a suspect's race influences a police officer's perception of the seriousness of another officer's conduct toward that suspect.
Data were collected in the winter of 1992-93 from 718 Ohio police officers selected through stratified cluster sampling in police agencies of four sizes: small, medium small, medium large, and large. The researchers developed 35 stories depicting diverse conduct by hypothetical police officers in situations in which several factors varied systematically. The researchers expected that police officers would perceive misconduct toward a minority suspect as significantly less serious than misconduct toward a white suspect, reflecting police bias against minority citizens. Contrary to this expectation, race was not a significant determinant of perceived seriousness. However, the suspect's demeanor was significant. Findings indicated that differential police handling of citizens of different races can be explained by the police attitude toward uncooperative suspects. Black persons' mistrust of police results from past experience and may contribute to a cycle in which they behave resistively and therefore receive harsher handling by the police. To break this cycle, police must not only convince African Americans that they are not racially biased, but must also cope with the racial consequences of their harsh attitude toward uncooperative suspects. Tables, notes, and 8 references (Author abstract modified)