Is Institutional Representation Enough? Evidence from Chicago Concerning the Relationship Between Racial Congruence, Diversification, and Police Stopping Behavior
Restricted (Penn State Only)
Author:
Risi, Joseph
Graduate Program:
Criminology (MA)
Degree:
Master of Arts
Document Type:
Master Thesis
Date of Defense:
May 11, 2022
Committee Members:
Corina Antohi Graif, Thesis Advisor/Co-Advisor Thomas Anthony Loughran, IV, Committee Member Eric Baumer, Program Head/Chair David M Ramey, Committee Member
Keywords:
Policing Diversity Criminology
Abstract:
Does increased representation of Black individuals on the police force lead to less aggressive policing of Black individuals? Previous research suggests that increased representation would lead to less aggressive policing via two distinct, albeit related, mechanisms: 1) changing the behaviors and culture of the police department as whole, and 2) creating more opportunities for intra-racial contact between police officers and civilians breaking down the racialized divide in those who police vs. those who are policed. In contrast to previous studies which have relied upon cross-sectional data at the police department level, I use a Chicago policing panel dataset with monthly observations from 2013-2015 at the sub-departmental level (i.e., the police unit level) to answer this question. Racial representation is operationalized using two different variables to correspond to the two different mechanisms through which increased racial representation is supposed to have an effect: 1) the proportion of officers in the unit who are Black, 2) the racial congruence of the unit (the ratio of the share of officers in the unit who are Black to the share of residents in the community who are Black). Results from estimated fixed effects negative binomial regression models indicate that within units, an increase in racial congruence is significantly negatively correlated with the number of stops of Black individuals. Moreover, the proportion of police officers who are Black is marginally negatively correlated with the number of stops of Black individuals. The amount of time officers have worked in the unit is also found to be significantly negatively correlated with the number of stops of Black individuals. These findings suggest the importance of both mechanisms with the second mechanism i.e., more harmonious interactions with civilians, having slightly more support.
