A Few Bad Apples? Racial Bias in Policing

• 成果类型: Article
• 署名作者: Goncalves, Felipe; Mello, Steven
• 署名单位: University of California System; University of California Los Angeles; Dartmouth College; National Bureau of Economic Research
• 刊物名称: AMERICAN ECONOMIC REVIEW
• ISSN/ISSBN: 0002-8282
• DOI: 10.1257/aer.20181607
• 发表日期: 2021
• 页码: 1406-1441
• 关键词: motor-vehicle searches; implicit bias; DISCRIMINATION; IMPACT; manipulation; disparities; RACE

摘要

We estimate the degree to which individual police officers practice racial discrimination. Using a bunching estimation design and data from the Florida Highway Patrol, we show that minorities are less likely to receive a discount on their speeding tickets than White drivers. Disaggregating this difference to the individual police officer, we estimate that 42 percent of officers practice discrimination. We then apply our officer-level discrimination measures to various-policy-relevant questions in the literature. In particular, reassigning officers across locations based on their lenience can effectively reduce the aggregate disparity in treatment.