Race, Place, and Homicides by Police in US Cities

• In Event: Examining Race and Situational Context in Officer-Involved Killings

Abstract

The use of deadly force by police officers is often controversial. Research indicates racial/ethnic minority groups are disproportionately victimized, and police-caused homicides are a significant source of tension between police and minority communities. Although existing studies suggest that minority citizens are disproportionately victims of police-caused homicides, important issues remain unaddressed. The present study extends research by testing two complementary structural theories of police violence. The race (minority threat) perspective maintains that police perceive relatively large Black and Latino populations as threatening; therefore, cities with a high percentage of Blacks or Latinos in the population should have a higher incidence of police-caused homicides. Previous research supports this hypothesis. The place perspective maintains that police perceive relatively segregated Black and Latino populations as threatening; therefore, localities with spatially concentrated Black or Latino populations should have a higher incidence of police-caused homicides. This perspective has yet to be tested. Using several sources, we compiled the most recent six years of data on police-caused homicides for US cities of 100,000 or more population. On balance, analyses of the data provide stronger support for the place than the race perspective.

Authors

• Malcolm D. Holmes, University of Wyoming

• Matthew A. Painter II, University of Wyoming

• Brad W. Smith, Wayne State University