Depolicing Among Missouri Police Departments in the Wake of Ferguson

• In Event: Issues Facing Police Officers and the Changing Nature of Policing

Abstract

Allegations of “depolicing” have resurfaced in the wake of several high-profile deadly force incidents. The term generally has a negative connotation, referring to officers retreating from active police work as a reaction to an adverse event (e.g., riot; consent decree) and the subsequent scrutiny that accompanies it. The problem, however, is that little empirical research has examined whether departments and their officers have scaled down their policing efforts in response to this recent increase in media attention and public discourse. Using data from over 600 municipal police agencies in Missouri, the current study compares both the quantity (i.e., standardized rates) and quality (i.e., “hit” rates of contraband and arrests) of traffic/vehicle stops and searches from 2014 to 2015. Results will uncover whether there is evidence of depolicing occurring at the organizational level, and whether such changes occurred in the aftermath of Ferguson. The paper concludes with a discussion of the implications of the findings for police policy and practice.

Authors

• John Shjarback, University of Texas at El Paso

• Scott Decker, Arizona State University

• David Pyrooz, University of Colorado Boulder

• Scott Wolfe, University of South Carolina