June 5, 2006

Cops target minorities more then whites.

Study: Police search minority drivers more often than whites - Boston.com

The crux of the story is that whites are statistically more likely to be carrying illegal substances with them, yet minorities are more likely to be searched. What I found more interesting was:
One study outlier was in Narragansett, where researchers didn't report a racial imbalance in vehicle searches. Narragansett police officers were also more likely to uncover illegal contraband when they did search cars than police officers elsewhere in the state.

Narragansett Police Chief J. David Smith said his officers must write a report every time they search a car, which forces officers to articulate their rationale for a search.

This told me two things: 1) forcing people to really think about their actions helps them make more effective decisions. 2) (this is mostly conjecture) forcing people to articulate their decisions can make them confront bias that they may not even realize they have. (I'm giving the cops the benefit of the doubt and hoping they aren't even always aware of racial bias they may have...)

Posted by pqbon at June 5, 2006 12:51 PM