Type of Work
Research Paper
Publication Date
3-28-2021
Description
Intergroup relations between White police officers and Black citizens are often at the forefront of the discussion on police brutality. Intergroup racial bias, the of favoring one’s own racial group over others, can lead to policing practices that have damaging, or even deadly, effects on minority communities. Intragroup bias, the favoring and derogation of members within one’s ingroup, has not been investigated enough in examining police bias. This research utilized the NOPD’s publicly available “Use of Force Incidents” data in order to examine whether intergroup and intragroup bias can be observed within their policing. Variables such as the officer/suspect race, suspects build and height, whether the suspect was injured/hospitalized were analyzed and evidence of both intergroup and intragroup biases were found. Disproportionate treatment of Black suspects is apparent in the NOPD data, and White suspects overall were found to still experience better treatment in some areas.
Hamilton Areas of Study
Psychology
Hamilton Sponsoring Organization
Levitt Public Affairs Center
Hamilton Scholarship Series
Levitt Winter Research Fellowship
Hamilton Faculty Advisor
Patricia Sanchez