Does Race Matter for Police Use of Force? Evidence from 911 Calls
Mark Hoekstra, CarlyWill Sloan
American Economic Review · 2022 · Volume 112 · Issue 3
Abstract
This paper examines race and police use of force using data on 1.6 million 911 calls in two cities, neither of which allows for discretion in officer dispatch. Results indicate White officers increase force much more than minority officers when dispatched to more minority neighborhoods. Estimates indicate Black (Hispanic) civilians are 55 (75) percent more likely to experience any force, and five times as likely to experience a police shooting, compared to if White officers scaled up force similarly to minority officers. Additionally, 14 percent of White officers use excess force in Black neighborhoods relative to our statistical benchmark.
Keywords
State and Local Government: Other Expenditure Categories, Economics of Minorities, Races, Indigenous Peoples, and Immigrants, Non-labor Discrimination, Illegal Behavior and the Enforcement of Law, Urban, Rural, Regional, Real Estate, and Transportation Economics: Regional Migration, Regional Labor Markets, Population, Neighborhood Characteristics
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