NCJ Number
208089
Journal
Criminal Justice Policy Review Volume: 15 Issue: 4 Dated: December 2004 Pages: 462-485
Date Published
December 2004
Length
24 pages
Annotation
This study examined whether the data collection procedure related to race-based policing studies affects overall department operations and whether changes are made in response to findings of race-based policing studies.
Abstract
Race-based policing is a highly divisive issue. One way of dealing with this issue is for police agencies to proactively engage in assessments of their policies and conduct relating to race. While these studies have shed light on enforcement patterns, little is known about how the studies have affected the police organization itself. Two questions were addressed in the current research: (1) do police officers change their behavior when they are required to collect information for the purpose of identifying racial or ethnic disparity within their law enforcement activities and (2) do findings of racial disparity result in organizational change within police departments? Participants were 14 police departments that had been identified as having completed race-based policing studies prior to December 2000. Mailed surveys probed the methods the police departments used to collect race-based policing data, the reasons the department conducted the study, the type of data collected for the study, and whether there were any changes as a result of the study in terms of productivity, discipline, policies, procedures, training, hiring, and administration. The results indicated a lack of reactivity in the data collection methods used by police departments for their race-based studies, which was a positive finding. However, limited responses were noted in reaction to the race-based findings; most responses were generalized policies against racial or ethnic disparity. While the research did point to the fact that racial disparity exists in routine enforcement activities, it remains silent on why these disparities exist. This question remains for future research. Appendixes, references