May I Talk To You For A Minute? An Examination of Police Contacts with Pedestrians

• In Event: Poster Session II

Abstract

A considerable body of research exists regarding the experience of minority drivers when stopped by the police; however, much less focus has been placed on the experience of citizens who are walking and approached by the police. Beyond the extensive study of New York’s stop and frisk policy, studies of pedestrian stops and their outcomes are relatively rare. This study aims to contribute to this need by exploring pedestrian stops initiated by officers from the San Jose, California Police Department over a 30 month period (September 2013 – March 2016). Analyses of these encounters offers insight into the characteristics of pedestrian stops, including the rate of minority citizens stopped compared with two distinct benchmarks appropriate for pedestrian stops. A wide range of police actions (e.g., handcuffing, issuing a citation, an arrest, and/or search) are also explored to understand the nature of these outcomes. Conclusions drawn from this study will provide specific insight into pedestrian stops and inform the broader knowledge of police-citizen encounters.

Authors

• Rob Tillyer, University of Texas San Antonio

• Mike Smith, University of Texas at San Antonio

• Caleb Lloyd, Swinburne University of Technology