ABSTRACT
Decades of scientific evidence confirm that Black and White citizens are treated differently by police. Black Americans are significantly overrepresented in arrests for crimes, such as disorderly conduct where officers have a high degree of discretion; far more likely to be kicked, hit with batons, tased, or subject to other nonfatal use of police force during interactions with police; and disproportionately more likely to be the victims of police-involved homicides. Unsurprisingly, scholars and advocates have long sought solutions that could lessen both these disparities and the tensions between police and communities of color that naturally arise from them. This chapter aims to review this literature, focusing on public administration scholarship but also including selected work from other disciplines. The review suggests that implicit bias, rather than overt racism, is the more likely source of racial disproportion in policing. In some cases, representation and diversity within a police force can mitigate the consequences of unconscious prejudice, but perhaps more effective are organizational practices such as enhanced screenings that simply reduce the level of bias among all new recruits. It is also important to note, however, that research suggests that disparities in some communities are getting worse rather than better because organizations have embraced routines and procedures, such as investigatory stops, that accentuate rather than moderate the role of implicit biases and stereotypes in officer decision-making.
