Minority Threat and Racial/Ethnic Group-Specific Police Homicide Victimization

• In Event: Police and Homicide Investigation and Victimization

Abstract

The use of deadly force by police officers is frequently controversial. Research indicates that minority citizens are disproportionately targeted, and police-caused homicides exacerbate ongoing tensions between police and minority communities. While existing studies suggest that racial and ethnic minorities are disproportionately victims of police-caused homicides, many issues remain unaddressed. The present study extends research by testing two complementary structural theories. One perspective maintains that police perceive racial/ethnic minority groups as threatening; therefore, cities with relatively large minority populations should have a higher incidence of police-caused homicides. The other maintains that police use of deadly force is tied to place; localities with ecologically concentrated minority populations perceived as threatening by police should have a higher incidence of police-caused homicides. Using several sources, we compiled 10 years of data on police-caused homicides for U.S. cities of 100,000 or more population. We analyzed the data using racial/ethnic group specific models. Preliminary findings show that percentage of minority variables are positively related to the incidence of police-caused homicides, consistent with predictions. Moreover, it appears that minority places may have a higher incidence of police-caused homicides, at least in certain regions.

Authors

• Malcolm D. Holmes, University of Wyoming

• Brad Smith, Wayne State University