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Driving While Different: A Potential Theoretical Explanation for Race-Based Policing

Wichita State University

During the first 6 months of 2001, the Wichita (Kansas) Police Department collected information on 37,454 stops conducted by its employees. The initial analysis of these data indicates a substantial disparity between the proportions of Black residents (11.4%) and Black citizens stopped (20.7%). A subsequent analysis of the data, conducted at the patrol beat level, indicates that (a) moderate to high correlations exist between the race of individuals stopped and the predominant racial representation of the beat; (b) officer deployment is influenced by the crime rate and population of the beats; (c) the predominate race of the beat does not affect the level of officer deployment; (d) in beats predominately populated by non-Black residents, stops involving Black citizens are over represented (proportionally); and (e) in beats predominately populated by Black residents, stops involving non-Black citizens are over represented (proportionally). A potential theoretical explanation for race-based policing is offered.

Key Words: racial profiling • race-based policing • contextual attentiveness • officer deployment

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