Investigating Racial Profiling by the Miami‐dade Police Department: A Multimethod Approach

Abstract

Research Summary The perception and existence of biased policing or racial profiling is one of the most difficult issues facing contemporary American society. Citizens from minority communities have focused their concerns on the improper use of race by law enforcement officers. The current research uses a complex methodological approach to investigate claims that the Miami‐Dade, Florida Police Department uses race improperly for the purposes of making traffic stops and conducting post‐stop activities. The results are mixed in that the officer's aggregate actions do not show a pattern of discriminatory actions toward minority citizens when making a traffic stop, but results of post‐stop activities do show some disparate treatment of minorities. Policy Implications Five specific policy recommendations are made to reduce the perception or reality of racial profiling by the police. First, police departments must have clear policies and directives explaining the proper use of race in decision making. Second, officers must be trained and educated in the overall impact of using race as a factor in deciding how to respond to a citizen. Third, the department must maintain a data‐collection and analytic system to monitor the activities of their officers as it pertains to the race of the citizen. The fourth police recommendation involves the use of record checks in the field that can set in motion a process that results in the detention and arrest of citizens. Fifth, the completion of a record of interrogation for later intelligence has implications for the citizen. The use of this intelligence tool must depend on suspicion rather than on the race of the citizen.

Racial profiling : using propensity score matching to examine focal concerns theory.

“…Racial disparity exists, and the race of the driver impacted the traffic stop decision-making of officers examined in this dissertation. These results are similar to previous studies which found that racial minorities were more likely to be stopped by police compared to Whites (Alpert et al, 2005;Alpert et al, 2007;Engel & Calnon, 2004;Jacobs, 1979;Lundman & Kaufman, 2003;Miller, 2008;Novak, 2004;Novak & Chamlin, 2012;Petrocelli et al, 2003;Rojek et al, 2004;Smith et al, 2006;Stolzenberg et al, 2004;Warren et al, 2006;Withrow, 2004aWithrow, , 2004bWithrow, , 2007. The finding that Black drivers were more likely to be cited is also similar to previous studies (Barnum & Perfetti, 2010;Ingram, 2007;Tillyer & Engel, 2013).…”

“…Specifically, some studies in criminology and criminal justice have shown that racial minorities are more likely to be stopped by the police than Whites (Alpert, Dunham, & Smith, 2007;Alpert, MacDonald, & Dunham, 2005;Engel & Calnon, 2004;Jacobs, 1979;Lundman & Kaufman, 2003;Miller, 2008;Novak, 2004;Novak & Chamlin, 2012;Petrocelli, Piquero, & Smith, 2003;Rojek, Rosenfeld, & Decker, 2004;Smith, Makarios, & Alpert, 2006;Stolzenberg, D'Alessio, & Eitle, 2004;Warren, Tomaskovic-Devey, Smith, Zingraff, & Mason, 2006;Withrow, 2004a;Withrow 2004b;Withrow, 2007).…”

“…Alpert et al (2007) used logistic regression and found that Black drivers were more likely to be stopped for an equipment violation. A search took place when a custody arrest was present, regardless of the race or ethnicity of the driver.…”

“…This factor may have caused police officers to create a shorthand for how they would handle the situation. According to Smith and Alpert (2007), police officers create profiles based on interactions with a citizen along with the social identity of certain citizens. This study used focal concerns theory to show that some factors are more important predictors of police officer decision-making than race alone.…”

“…Smith and Alpert (2007) found that police officers create profiles of citizens based on their interactions with and the social identities of certain individuals. These profiles were typically based on a person's race, yet were also influenced based on the gender and age of the individual (Smith & Alpert, 2007). Smith et al (2006) found that police officers were more suspicious of male drivers and Black and Hispanic drivers during a traffic stop.…”