NCJ Number
219879
Journal
Journal of Criminal Justice Volume: 35 Issue: 4 Dated: July/August 2007 Pages: 405-417
Date Published
July 2007
Length
13 pages
Annotation
This study examined the impact of the "repeat phenomenon" (a small proportion of people or places accounting for a larger proportion of events) on racial disparities in police motor vehicle stops.
Abstract
The study found that officers assigned to districts, in contrast to officers in special units that operate across districts, and officers who worked in areas with high levels of relative deprivation stopped Black drivers at disproportionate levels. Differing levels of racial disparity were also found between low and high performing officers as groups. Although officers in both categories, on average, disproportionately stopped Black drivers, the low performers had a significantly higher average disproportionality index score than the high performers. In terms of racially biased policing, the regression analyses failed to identify any significant individual level predictor, specifically those that pertained to officer race. The lack of any individual level effects in the prediction of racial disparity discounted the concept of bigoted White officers being the cause of disproportionate stops of Black drivers. There was sufficient support for examining the possibility of institutional policy and/or disproportionate offending being explanations for disproportionate motor vehicle stops of Black drivers. The data used were collected as part of a contract with the City of Cincinnati to examine police motor vehicle stops for evidence of racial disparity. Data were collected on driver race for all traffic stops made by Cincinnati police officers. Data collection began on May 7, 2001. Information was compiled from officer contact cards and the 2000 census. The database included information on 6,737 stops across 178 officers. 4 tables, 9 notes, and 74 references