Identifying Officer Bias in Domestic Violence Calls Using Multilevel Models

• In Event: Poster Session 11
  In Poster Session: The Intersections of Social Justice

Abstract

Abstract
Several factors affect the probability that a police officer will issue a citation during a domestic violence call. Common biases are the victim and suspect’s gender and race. This study seeks to identify whether there are individual officer characteristics that contribute towards the probability of an issued citation and whether any demographic biases are homogeneous within a department. To accomplish this, forward selection generalized multilevel modeling approach was utilized. The results indicated that there were individual differences in the probability of issue a citation but any demographic biases were homogeneous within the department.

Authors

• Michael J. Zweifel, University of Nebraska - Lincoln

• Kerry Beldin, University of Nebraska - Omaha