Neighborhood Social Disorganization and Police Decisions to Arrest

• In Event: Poster Session

Abstract

I used 2018 Baltimore Police Department Calls for Service data (n= 31,670) to investigate the role of bias in police officer decision-making, specifically arrest response to calls for service in Baltimore’s 55 community statistical areas, through the lens of Social Disorganization Theory (Shaw & McKay, 1942). The project uses linear probability modeling (LPM) to predict the probability of a call resulting in officer arrest by the call characteristics, and the neighborhood characteristics described in Social Disorganization Theory: residential stability (percentage of owner-occupied housing units and percentage of students switching schools within a year), racial heterogeneity (racial diversity index), and concentrated disadvantage (median income and poverty rate). Several call characteristics were significantly associated with probability of arrest. As expected, call priority (i.e., just occurred, in progress) was positively associated with the probability of arrest, and “mental health” crisis was negatively associated. Additionally, several neighborhood characteristics were associated with the probability of arrest. The percentage of households living below the poverty line was negatively associated with the probability of arrest, while percentage of registered voters and percentage of vacant or abandoned residential properties were positively associated with probability of arrest. Implications for the theory, as well as policy, are also discussed.

Author

• Madisen Placzkowski, University of Maryland, College Park