Police Discretion, Organizational Characteristics, and Traffic Stops: An Analysis of Racial Disparity in Illinois.

• In Event: Critical Issues in 21st Century Policing

Abstract

An important source of racial disparity in policing is the traffic stop decision. The level of discretion afforded to officers for these stops is generally greater than it is for other policing decisions. While there is a sizeable literature on racial disparity in traffic stops, few studies examine how social context and police organizational variables affect this outcome. Using data from Illinois Department of Transportation (IDOT) and the 2013 Law Enforcement Management and Administrative Survey (LEMAS), this study attempts to fill this gap by examining levels of traffic stop disparity in police agencies in Illinois. Results indicate that both the county-level violent crime rate and the level of minority representation at the agency-level are related to racial disparity in stops, citations, and requests for content searches. These results highlight the importance of accounting for both social context and organizational characteristics when examining discretionary police behavior.

Authors

• Jeffrey Nowacki, Colorado State University

• Tyrell Spencer, Southern Illinois University-Carbondale