NCJ Number
202918
Journal
Policing: An International Journal of Police Strategies & Management Volume: 26 Issue: 3 Dated: 2003 Pages: 386-399
Editor(s)
Lawrence F. Travis III
Date Published
2003
Length
14 pages
Annotation
This study examined southern Black officers’ reports regarding their personal experiences and perceptions in relation to race and racism.
Abstract
In an attempt to gain insight and understanding into the operation of race in police agencies, this study examined southern police officers’ reports about their experiences and perceptions. It also examined whether the experiential-racism model promotes theoretical and methodological insight into the operation of race in policing and whether racism within police agencies creates barriers that prevent Black officers from equally participating in policing. Fifty in-depth interviews were conducted with Black officers in a Southern State over a 2 year period. The interview consisted of 18 open-ended items designed to elicit detailed information about officers’ experiences in policing. Results from the interviews do not portray a picture of improving race relations in policing, but rather, it portrays racism as complex and persistent. Discussions illustrate a shared perception among the Black officers interviewed that systematic barriers exist in agencies that limit advancement and impact longevity of their careers and that race affects how Black officers are trained, evaluated, disciplined, assigned, transferred, and promoted. This project demonstrates that an understanding of the criminal justice system can be improved by looking to the stories and viewpoints of persons who work in the criminal justice system and experience racism as part of their everyday lives. References