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Allegations of Biased Police in the Context of Traffic stop dataDr. Jack McDevittLisa LaguerreInstitute on Race and Justice Northeastern University

Historical Issues Police and RaceDebate over racial profiling part of larger history of adversarial relationships between police and disenfranchised communities.

Historical events such as slave patrols, police enforcement of Jim Crow Segregation, Police suppression of Black voter registration, Watts, Detroit, Newark and other urban riots of 1960s have influenced how the community of color views the police.

LA Police Search South LA Residents, 1965

2Questions of racial disparity in police enforcement were a central feature of much of the police reform movement of the 1970s. However, race continues to be one of the strongest predictors of community distrust of the police.

Issues of race and traffic stops brought to the forefront by Operation Pipeline training and tactics. Development of profile of drug courier. Popular belief that police were using race as part of the profile.

Allegations were raised by community and media that the police were profiling non-white drivers. A practice that was popularly labeled driving while black.3Attitude FormationAttitudes are based upon multiple sources of informationPersonal experience Experiences of friends and familyfamous incidentsPopular cultureMovies and TVRacial and Ethnic Differences in Support for Police 1998 National Survey 58% of whites had a great deal or quite a lot of confidence in the Police 38% of African Americans had a great deal or quite a lot of confidence in the Police 1999 New York City Poll90% police use unnecessary force towards African Americans2008 Poll 40% of African Americans report having been stopped by the police because of their race 10% of Whites report having been stopped by the police because of their race5Definition of Racial ProfilingAny police-initiated action that relies on race, ethnicity, or national origin rather than the behavior of an individual or information that lead the police to a particular individual who has been identified as being, or having been, engaged in criminal activity (Ramirez, McDevitt, Farrell, 2000).

How Departments Responded to Racial Profiling Concerns1. Policies Many departments adopted official policies prohibiting racial profiling

2. TrainingSome departments developed or implemented new training programs to address racial profiling,

3. Data Collection and AnalysisTo date, over 4,000 law enforcement agencies nationwide have begun collecting data on the demographics traffic stops

4. Development of Early Intervention Systems

Making Sense of All The DataBetween 1998-2008 approximately 65 reports on racial demographics of traffic stops completed

Various levels of analysisIndividual agencyMulti-jurisdictional Statewide

Various types of data collected

Various analytical strategies developed and sharedWork by numerous individuals and agencies to learn and share best analytic strategiesPolice Executive Research Forum By The Numbers (2005)Racial Profiling Web-Based Resource Center (2001)Conference, special editions of journalsPeer reviewed articles

Analytic Goals of ProjectIn-depth analysis of 49 reports where, at a minimum, the race of drivers is compared to some external benchmark

Identify commonalities of findings

Draw overall conclusions about what we have learned from these reports

Inform field about what we know and where we need to move for future inquiryWhy did agencies collect data?Federal Mandate 6.4%State Legislation48.9%Local Ordinance4.3%Voluntary46.8%Citizen Review Requirement2.1%

** can include more than 1 reason

How did agencies collect data?MDT System4.3%CAD8.5%PDA2.1%New Paper Form76.6%Existing Paper Form2.1%(modified citation form)None Specified6.4%How did agencies collect data?

Types of Analysis/BenchmarksMajority of Studies Compare Traffic Stops to A Benchmark of Drivers or ViolatorsCensus data53.2%Traffic survey27.7%Violator survey4.3%Accident data4.3%Modified census2.1%Licensed drivers2.1%Other6.4%Less than 10 studies utilize multivariate analyses or other techniques

Problems with Census as BenchmarkNot all people who live in the Community drive (e.g. juveniles)

Many people who drive in a community do not live there

The Census undercounts certain groups

Benchmarks Over Time:Are we Learning?Between 1998-2001 of all studies used only census data

By 2003-2008less used only census dataIncreasing use of traffic and violator surveys

Search DataOnly 20 of 49 reports included information on searches

In all 20 non-white drivers were searched more often than white drivers average 2.5 times more likely to be searched

14 of the 20 search reports included information about productivityRange of productivity from 11% to 50% Average productivity for searches (Hit Rates)In many studies the White Hit Rate is higher that the rate for Blacks and Hispanics

Search data very useful, may be under utilized

Conclusions Differ by Type of Benchmark UsedCensus data studies most likely to find disparity (67%)

Of those studies that find no disparity, majority are traffic or violator surveys. Some conclude no racial profiling occurring

Mixed results with accident, crime and modified census studiesToo few studies to determine strong trends

Additional Sources of Data on Bias Use of Force Reports (including Tasers)Arrest Statistics Citation vs. Warning DataSearch Data/Hit rates Interviews Surveys with Officers / particularly officers of color (from adjacent jurisdictions)

Additional Sources of Data on Bias Citizen Complaints ???Community meetings by District Attendance at Citizen Police AcademiesDiversity in Department / District / UnitFocus groups in community (particularly with youth)

Benefits of Triangulation Similar patterns observed from multiple sources /information systems/ reporters make the conclusions that much stronger

In Social Science we are moving towards triangulation based upon Quantitative as well as Qualitative dataCauses of Biased Policing Racist Police OfficersBad Apple theoryInstitutional RacismDeployment decisions Unconscious Bias Police are people too21Bad Apple TheoryPolice agencies hire bad applesDue to inadequate screeningLower admission standardsPolice officers become bad Personal crisesProfessional disappointmentsEIS Systems Works for substance abuse

22Institutional Racism Policies by an organizations can result in racially disproportionate outcomesTargeting specific crime typesTargeting specific crime locations

Example of previously stopped 23Unconscious BiasBias results from unconscious processes that occur in our inner brain and we are totally unaware it is happening Inner brain controls unconscious bodily functions Breathing Fight or flightBrain make quick generalizations using stereotypes to quickly assess the situation24What to do if we find a disparity occurring in an agencyComprehensive ApproachTraining Patrol Officers Supervisors Diversity in Agency Fair reliable misconduct review processLeadership Some ongoing measurement (Monitoring)

So what do we do?The best solution to perceived disparate treatment would be to use the information we do have to conduct a conversation between the police and the community26Challenges to Conducting a Community ConversationApparent lack of community concern

Lack of complaints to local police

Many people are too busy to come to a meeting 2727Identifying the Right Participants1)Local Community Well Respected Community Leaders Community Based & Large Anchor Organizations Local Clergy / Churches Community Coalitions Local Legislators Police leadership & Community Officers

2)Population of drivers who may pass through town Patrons of local neighborhood stores Merchants of local business Entertainment facilities (malls, movie theater, etc.) Employees of local businesses

2828Appropriate Meeting Location 1) Typically, we recommend a neutral location within the community, at least for the first series of meetings, and to avoid initially hosting these discussions at your police agency. neighborhood school community based organization neighborhood library local church nearby university or college2) It may be best to ask for time on the agenda at a regular meeting of a local group. (e.g. human rights council) 2929Suggestions for Dealing with Challenging TopicsWe recommend that police and community leadershipbegin this type of dialogue process understanding thatthe problems that underlie race and policing arecomplex issues that will not be resolved overnight. Provide time for participants to freely express and vent their concerns and frustrations around the issue. Set and define ground rules for the conversation If able, select or hire a neutral facilitator to enforce ground rules and move the conversation forward Must make a commitment to the process as a partner to improving climate of race and policing in their community

3030Role of leadershipCommunity members react very positively to police leaders honest statements about officers who engage in disparate treatmentCommunity members enjoy learning why police do what they doCommunity members are surprised by all the policies presently in place to deal with officer misconductBenefits of Engaging Your Local Community 1) Improve Trust and Transparency Community intelligence to local crime issues Improved collaboration for innovative crime control strategies

2) Increases Transparency of Allegations of Bias Transparent and factual explanations against complaints of biased policing

3232reason0.0640.4890.0430.4680.021

How0.0430.0850.0210.7660.0210.064

Sheet1Federal Mandate6.40%State Legislation48.90%Local Ordinance4.30%Voluntary46.80%Citizen Review Requirement2.10%MDT System4.30%CAD8.50%PDA2.10%New Paper Form76.60%Existing Paper Form2.10%None Specified6.40%

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