Testing implicit bias theory with police use of force data from the field

• In Event: Police Use of Force

Abstract

There is considerable empirical evidence that police intervene disproportionately with Black subjects. Explanations for this phenomenon include the theory of “implicit bias” that has received substantial attention in recent years and found support in voluminous empirical research. There is considerable empirical evidence that police intervene disproportionately with Black subjects. Explanations for this phenomenon include the theory of “implicit bias” that has received substantial attention in recent years and found support in voluminous empirical research. The studies of implicit bias, including the race-crime implicit bias, have, by necessity, been conducted in laboratory settings. The purpose of this study is to examine if the predictions of the theory of implicit bias are reflected in the actual uses of force by police officers in the field. Using data from 1,846 use-of-force reports submitted during a 4-year period in a large urban agency, this study found support for the theory of implicit bias using field data.

Authors

• Lorie A. Fridell, University of South Florida

• Hyeyoung Lim, University of Alabama at Birmingham