"Driver's License, Military ID, and Proof of Registration and Insurance, Please." An Exploratory Study of Officer Discretion Surrounding Traffic Stops on an Air Force Installation
Open Access
Author:
Holman, Steven Lee
Graduate Program:
Criminal Justice
Degree:
Master of Arts
Document Type:
Master Thesis
Date of Defense:
November 16, 2018
Committee Members:
Donald Charles Hummer II, Thesis Advisor/Co-Advisor Jonathan Lee, Committee Member
Keywords:
discretion U.S. Air Force race gender age infraction seriousness of offense qualitative discretion Air Force race gender age infraction citation seriousness of offense qualitative
Abstract:
Officer discretion is a well-debated concept across American culture today. Movements such as “Driving While Black,” “Driving While Brown,” and the most well recognized today, “Black Lives Matter” all deal with officer discretion, whether the movement is aware of it or not. A plethora of research has been conducted on how local, county, and state law enforcement officers use their discretionary authority, however to date, no such study has been conducted on a policing entity within the United States military. This study, through observational ride-alongs, breaks that barrier and assesses how one particular Air Force unit’s law enforcement patrolmen exercise such a profound authority.
