NCJ Number
213379
Journal
Criminology Volume: 44 Issue: 1 Dated: February 2006 Pages: 105-138
Date Published
February 2006
Length
34 pages
Annotation
This study explored racial disparity among drug delivery arrests in Seattle, WA.
Abstract
Results indicate that Blacks make up a disproportionate number (64 percent) of drug delivery arrestees in Seattle. A number of police organizational policies account for this racial disparity, including the focus on crack cocaine offenders, the priority given to outdoor drug sale venues, and the concentration of police resources in racially mixed areas of the city. Moreover, further investigation into police policies indicates that the policies are not determined by crime rates or calls for police assistance, suggesting a possible racial agenda. The findings show that race implicitly influences police perceptions of Seattle’s drug problem. Data were drawn from several sources to assess the possibility of racially disparate arrest rates: Seattle’s Needle Exchange Survey (2002), ethnographic observations of two open-air drug markets over 3 months in 2002, Seattle Police Department Incident Reports for all drug delivery arrests between January 1999 and April 2001, and national 2000 Arrestee Drug Abuse Monitoring (ADAM) survey data. Statistical data analysis techniques included the calculations of Z-scores and regression analyses. Future research should attempt to replicate these findings in other cities. Footnotes, tables, figures, references