Consent searches: understanding the role of race and what occurs during the traffic stop

2019 ◽  
Vol 42 (4) ◽  
pp. 611-623
Author(s):  
Anthony G. Vito ◽  
Elizabeth L. Grossi ◽  
Vanessa Woodward Griffin ◽  
George E. Higgins
Keyword(s):  
Decision Making ◽  
Police Officer ◽  
Police Officers ◽  
Racial Profiling ◽  
Police Department ◽  
Theoretical Explanation ◽  
Cross Sectional ◽  
Content Type ◽  
Focal Concerns ◽  
Focal Concerns Theory

Purpose The purpose of this paper is to apply focal concerns theory as a theoretical explanation for police officer decision making during a traffic stop that results in a consent search. The study uses coefficients testing to better examine the issue of racial profiling through the use of a race-specific model. Design/methodology/approach The data for this study come from traffic stops conducted by the Louisville Police Department between January 1 and December 31, 2002. Findings The results show that the three components of focal concerns theory can explain police officer decision making for consent searches. Yet, the components of focal concerns theory play a greater role in stops of Caucasian male drivers. Research limitations/implications The data for this study are cross-sectional and self-reported from police officers. Practical implications This paper shows the utility of applying focal concerns theory as a theoretical explanation for police officer decision making on consent searches and how the effects of focal concerns vary depending on driver race. Social implications The findings based on focal concerns theory can provide an opportunity for police officers or departments to explain what factors impact the decision making during consent searches. Originality/value This is the first study (to the researchers’ knowledge) that examines the racial effects of focal concerns on traffic stop consent searchers using coefficients testing.

Analyzing racial profiling from traffic searches

2018 ◽  
Vol 41 (6) ◽  
pp. 721-733 ◽  
Author(s):  
Anthony Gennaro Vito ◽  
Elizabeth L. Grossi ◽  
George E. Higgins
Keyword(s):  
Decision Making ◽  
Police Officer ◽  
Racial Profiling ◽  
Statistical Technique ◽  
Theoretical Explanation ◽  
Self Report ◽  
Cross Sectional ◽  
Content Type ◽  
Focal Concerns ◽  
Focal Concerns Theory

Purpose The purpose of this paper is to examine the issue of racial profiling when the traffic stop outcome is a search using focal concerns theory as a theoretical explanation for police officer decision making and propensity score matching (PSM) as a better analysis to understand the race of the driver. Design/methodology/approach The data for this study come from traffic stops conducted by the Louisville Police Department between January 1 and December 31, 2002. Findings The results show that the elements of focal concerns theory matter most when it comes to if a traffic stop that resulted in a search even though racial profiling was evident. The use of PSM provides evidence that it is a better statistical technique when studying racial profiling. The gender of the driver was significant for male drivers but not for female drivers. Research limitations/implications The data for this study are cross-sectional and are self-report data from the police officer. Practical implications This paper serves as a theoretical explanation that other researchers could use when studying racial profiling along with a better type of statistical analysis being PSM. Social implications The findings based on focal concerns theory could provide an explanation for police officer decision making that police departments could use to help citizens understand why a traffic stop search took place. Originality/value This is the first study of its kind to the researcher’s knowledge to apply focal concerns theory with PSM to understand traffic stop searches.

The Issue of Racial Profiling in Traffic Stop Citations

2017 ◽  
Vol 33 (4) ◽  
pp. 431-450 ◽  
Author(s):  
Anthony G. Vito ◽  
Elizabeth L. Grossi ◽  
George E. Higgins
Keyword(s):  
Decision Making ◽  
Propensity Score ◽  
Propensity Score Matching ◽  
Racial Profiling ◽  
Police Department ◽  
Statistical Technique ◽  
Theoretical Explanation ◽  
Focal Concerns ◽  
Focal Concerns Theory ◽  
Statistical Results

This study addresses racial profiling when the traffic stop outcome is a citation. This study uses focal concerns theory as a theoretical explanation for police officer decision-making while using propensity score matching to provide similarly situated drivers based on race and/or gender. This study uses traffic stop data (N = 48,586) collected by the Louisville Police Department between January 1 and December 31, 2002. The statistical results show that focal concerns theory components matter the most for traffic stop data even though racial profiling is still an issue. Propensity score matching is a statistical technique that provides a better way to determine whether racial profiling was evident. Gender was not significant for female drivers. This study advances our understanding of race and traffic stop citations using a theoretical explanation.

“Does daylight matter”? An examination of racial bias in traffic stops by police

2020 ◽  
Vol 43 (4) ◽  
pp. 675-688
Author(s):  
Anthony G. Vito ◽  
Vanessa Woodward Griffin ◽  
Gennaro F. Vito ◽  
George E. Higgins
Keyword(s):  
Decision Making ◽  
Racial Bias ◽  
Racial Profiling ◽  
Police Department ◽  
Police Departments ◽  
Traffic Stops ◽  
Content Type ◽  
Show Evidence ◽  
The Veil ◽  
The Impact

PurposeThe purpose of this paper is to draw a better understanding of the potential impact of daylight in officer decision making. In order to this, the authors test the veil of darkness hypothesis, which theorizes that racial bias in traffic stops can be tested by controlling for the impact of daylight, while operating under the assumption that driver patterns remain constant across race.Design/methodology/approachPublicly available traffic-stop records from the Louisville Metro Police Department for January 2010–2019. The analysis includes both propensity score matching to examine the impact of daylight in similarly situated stops and coefficients testing to analyze how VOD may vary in citation-specific models.FindingsThe results show that using PSM following the VOD hypothesis does show evidence of racial bias, with Black drivers more likely to be stopped. Moreover, the effects of daylight significantly varied across citation-specific models.Research limitations/implicationsThe data are self-reported from the officer and do not contain information on the vehicle make or model.Practical implicationsThis paper shows that utilizing PSM and coefficients testing provides for a better analysis following the VOD hypothesis and does a better job of understanding the impact of daylight and the officer decision-making on traffic stops.Social implicationsBased on the quality of the data, the findings show that the use of VOD allows for the performance of more rigorous analyses of traffic stop data – giving police departments a better way to examine if racial profiling is evident.Originality/valueThis is the first study (to the researchers' knowledge) that applies the statistical analyses of PSM to the confines of the veil of darkness hypothesis.

scholarly journals Integrating religiosity into fraud triangle theory: findings on Malaysian police officers

2018 ◽  
Vol 4 (2) ◽  
pp. 111-123 ◽  
Author(s):  
Jamaliah Said ◽  
Md. Mahmudul Alam ◽  
Zulyanti Abdul Karim ◽  
Razana Juhaida Johari
Keyword(s):  
Police Officers ◽  
Police Department ◽  
Primary Data ◽  
Lower Probability ◽  
Fraud Triangle ◽  
Cross Sectional ◽  
Content Type ◽  
Occupational Fraud ◽  
Asset Misappropriation ◽  
Triangle Theory

Purpose The purpose of this paper is to conduct an empirical analysis of the factors that determine the occupational fraud behavior. Design/methodology/approach This study utilizes primary data collected by a questionnaire-based survey on 186 police officials of Malaysia including Sabah and Sarawak. Data are analyzed using descriptive statistics, factor analysis, and cross-sectional regression. Findings The results derived in the study showed a statistically significant positive relationship between three basic variables of the fraud theory – pressure, opportunity, and rationalization with asset misappropriation. Moreover, this study revealed that religiosity is statistically significantly and negatively correlated to asset misappropriation. Therefore, the higher religiosity of an individual correlates with the lower probability involve in asset misappropriation. Practical implications The findings will help Anti-Corruption Commission, Enforcement Agency of Integrity Commission, Police Department, and relevant agencies from Malaysia and other countries to design policies for reducing cases of fraudulent behavior. Originality/value This study is an original work based on the primary data collection.

Examining police officers’ perceptions of stress: the role of Person−environment fit

2021 ◽  
Vol ahead-of-print (ahead-of-print) ◽  
Author(s):  
Rachael Rief ◽  
Samantha Clinkinbeard
Keyword(s):  
Job Satisfaction ◽  
Police Officers ◽  
Well Being ◽  
Work Outcomes ◽  
Cross Sectional Survey ◽  
Organizational Fit ◽  
Cross Sectional ◽  
Content Type ◽  
The Relationship ◽  
Overall Job Satisfaction

PurposeThe purpose of the study was to examine the relationship between officer perceptions of fit in their organization and stress (organizational and operational), overall job satisfaction and turnover contemplation (within the last 6 months).Design/methodology/approachThe authors used cross-sectional survey data from a sample of 832 officers from two Midwest police departments to examine the relationships between fit, stress and work-related attitudes.FindingsPerceived stress and organizational fit were strong predictors of overall job satisfaction and turnover contemplation; organizational fit accounted for the most variation in stress, satisfaction and turnover contemplation. Organizational stress partially mediated the relationship between organizational fit and job satisfaction and organizational fit and turnover contemplation.Research ImplicationsMore research is needed to identify predictors of organizational fit perceptions among police officers.Practical implicationsFindings indicate that agencies should pay close attention to the organizational culture and structure when trying to address issues of officer well-being and retention. Further, the person−environment framework can be a useful tool in examining police occupational outcomes.Originality/valueThe authors findings contribute to research on officer stress by exploring perceptions of organizational fit as a predictor of stress and unpacking how officer stress matters to important work outcomes, including job satisfaction and thoughts of turnover, by considering stress as a mediator between organizational fit and these work outcomes.

scholarly journals Police legitimacy in context: an exploration of “soft” power in police custody in England

2017 ◽  
Vol 40 (3) ◽  
pp. 601-613 ◽  
Author(s):  
Layla Skinns ◽  
Lindsey Rice ◽  
Amy Sprawson ◽  
Andrew Wooff
Keyword(s):  
Police Officers ◽  
Soft Power ◽  
Qualitative Data ◽  
Teachable Moment ◽  
Cross Sectional ◽  
Police Custody ◽  
Content Type ◽  
Physical Conditions ◽  
Original Contribution ◽  
Detention Officers

Purpose The purpose of this paper is to examine how police authority – in its “soft” form – is used and understood by staff and detainees in police custody in England, examining how these meanings are shaped by this unique police setting. It is argued that the nature of this setting, as fraught and uncertain, along with the large volume of citizens who come into contact with the police therein, makes police custody the ultimate “teachable moment”. Design/methodology/approach The present paper is based on in-depth qualitative data collected between March 2014 and May 2015 in four custody suites (in four forces). In each site, the researchers spent three to four weeks observing and then interviewed 10-15 staff (largely police officers, detention officers but also a few other criminal justice practitioners) and 10-15 detainees. In total, the paper is based on 532 hours of observing and 97 interviews (47 with staff and 50 with detainees). Findings One way that the staff used their authority in the custody suites in the research was softly and innocuously; this entailed for example staff communicating in a respectful manner with detainees, such as by being deliberately polite. The authors conclude that this “soft” power was a dynamic, processual matter, shaped in particular by the physical conditions of the suite, the uncertain and insecure nature of detainees’ circumstances, as well as by the sense of disempowerment they felt as a result of being deprived of their liberty and autonomy, all of which contributed to police custody being the ultimate “teachable moment”. Originality/value The paper draws on a range of qualitative data collected from both staff and detainees in four types of police custody suites as part the “good” police custody study. It therefore makes an original contribution to the field which has tended to rely on cross-sectional surveys of citizens not policed populations (Harkin, 2015; Worden and Mclean, 2017).

Shift work and overtime across a career in law enforcement: a 15-year study

2021 ◽  
Vol 44 (2) ◽  
pp. 200-212
Author(s):  
Samantha M. Riedy ◽  
Desta Fekedulegn ◽  
Bryan Vila ◽  
Michael Andrew ◽  
John M. Violanti
Keyword(s):  
New York ◽  
Law Enforcement ◽  
Shift Work ◽  
Police Officers ◽  
Night Shift ◽  
Police Department ◽  
Work Hours ◽  
Negative Effects ◽  
Content Type ◽  
Long Work Hours

PurposeTo characterize changes in work hours across a career in law enforcement.Design/methodology/approachN = 113 police officers enrolled in the BCOPS cohort were studied. The police officers started their careers in law enforcement between 1994 and 2001 at a mid-sized, unionized police department in northwestern New York and continued to work at this police department for at least 15 years. Day-by-day work history records were obtained from the payroll department. Work hours, leave hours and other pay types were summarized for each calendar year across their first 15 years of employment. Linear mixed-effects models with a random intercept over subject were used to determine if there were significant changes in pay types over time.FindingsA total of 1,617 individual-years of data were analyzed. As the police officers gained seniority at the department, they worked fewer hours and fewer night shifts. Total paid hours did not significantly change due to seniority-based increases in vacation time. Night shift work was increasingly in the form of overtime as officers gained seniority. Overtime was more prevalent at the beginning of a career and after a promotion from police officer to detective.Originality/valueShiftwork and long work hours have negative effects on sleep and increase the likelihood of on-duty fatigue and performance impairment. The results suggest that there are different points within a career in law enforcement where issues surrounding shiftwork and long work hours may be more prevalent. This has important implications for predicting fatigue, developing effective countermeasures and measuring fatigue-related costs.

Team dynamics within activity-based working

2020 ◽  
Vol 18 (3) ◽  
pp. 181-194
Author(s):  
Megan Divett
Keyword(s):  
Decision Making ◽  
Team Dynamics ◽  
Cross Sectional ◽  
Time Activity ◽  
Content Type ◽  
Team Members ◽  
Team Interaction ◽  
Open Plan ◽  
Team Productivity ◽  
The Way

Purpose This paper aims to evaluate perceptions of leaders and team members on productivity, satisfaction and leader-led team dynamics within an activity-based, flexible environment compared to an open plan workplace. Design/methodology/approach This study uses cross-sectional (N = 1,275) and longitudinal survey data (N = 138) collected from three offices in Australia. Baseline responses were collected 3–12 months prior to the transition into a new environment and comparison responses were collected after at least three months of working in the new environment. Paired sample t-tests and linear regression were used. Findings Team members were more satisfied and felt more productive within the activity-based working (ABW) environment compared to the open plan workplace. Leaders were more satisfied and felt team productivity improved, yet individual productivity for leaders remained the same. Occupants felt the key drivers of productivity were team Interaction and decision-making. Research limitations/implications This study focused on one activity-based building based in Australia that was consciously designed for individual focus, team working and cross-team collaboration. This style of workplace may not be representative of all activity-based environments. Originality/value Most research into ABW has relied on cross-sectional data. This study also adopts a within group, longitudinal approach to directly compare the perceptions of the same individuals over time. Activity-based environments are changing the way we think of leaders and the way they encourage productivity. This study showed that despite relinquishing an office, leaders were more satisfied and equally productive within an activity-based environment. The study also showed that teams realise greater productivity by focussing on team interaction and effective decision-making.

The global mobility decisions of professional sailors’ spouses

2017 ◽  
Vol 5 (2) ◽  
pp. 203-219 ◽  
Author(s):  
Joanne Mutter
Keyword(s):  
Decision Making ◽  
Longitudinal Research ◽  
Cross Sectional ◽  
Conceptual Foundation ◽  
Content Type ◽  
Work Related ◽  
Global Mobility ◽  
The Family ◽  
The Impact ◽  
Stay Behind

Purpose The purpose of this paper is to identify the factors informing spousal global mobility decisions within the context of sporting expatriation. Findings contribute to the non-corporate global mobility literature as well as providing an empirical enhancement to the family relatedness of work decisions framework. Design/methodology/approach In this qualitative study, in-depth interviews gave voice to 21 spouses of professional sailors who have experienced both trailing their spouse and staying behind. Findings Access to empathetic social support, the potential impact on children, and the spouse’s career were all found to influence the spouse’s dynamic global mobility decision making. Research limitations/implications The study is limited by the cross-sectional nature of the research. Future longitudinal research into the impact of spousal preferences would identify the on-going effect of their decision(s) to relocate or to stay behind. Practical implications Providing organisations with an understanding of the familial issues their global talent may factor into their work mobility decisions will allow them to implement appropriate family-focussed support, irrespective of the choice to engage, or not engage, in global mobility. Originality/value By grounding the study in the under-researched sporting arena, the author contributes to the emerging non-corporate expatriate conversation. Furthermore, the family relatedness of work-related decisions framework was found to provide a useful conceptual foundation for understanding decision making in an international context.

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