The Problem

Discrimination in policing is an ongoing social problem around the world, affecting the public health and safety of group members (e.g., racial and ethnic marginalized groups, members of the LGBTQ community, drug users, and younger members of specific religious sects) who are disproportionately impacted by police actions. Discrimination in policing is a broad term that may involve the targeting of specific neighborhoods for increased police surveillance. Increased surveillance of specific populations increases arrest rates in those neighborhoods compared to other neighborhoods in the district even though rates of petty theft, drug distribution, and drug use are similar across neighborhoods. For example, discrimination in policing may involve targeting specific groups of people for stop-and-frisk actions without any legally justifiable cause to do so. The stop-and-frisk policy in New York City is one example where officers temporarily detain, question, and at times, search civilians for weapons and other illegal items. Such procedures are not unconstitutional when an officer stops and frisks an individual if the officer has a reasonable suspicion that the person has committed, is committing, or is about to commit a crime. This procedure peaked in 2011 with New Yorkers stopped 685,724 times, with 605,328 (89%) being totally innocent of any wrongdoing. Of those stopped, 55% were black, 32% Latino, and 11% white. Although the practice of stop-and-frisk has decreased in recent years, of the 12,404 New Yorkers stopped in 2016, 9,394 were totally innocent (76%), with 52% of those stopped black, 29% Latino and 10% white.

Another example of discrimination in policing can be seen in disproportionately higher arrest rates for specific racial/ethnic groups for a criminal activity at the local, state, and/or national level, in which all racial/ethnic groups have a generally equal likelihood of engaging in the activity. For example, although black and white Americans use marijuana at approximately the same rate, black Americans are 3.73 times more likely than white Americans to be arrested for marijuana possession. While disproportionate stops, searches, and arrests are examples of over-policing (increased surveillance and control) the same racial minority-dominant neighborhoods that are over-policed often simultaneously experience under-policing. Under-policing is when a specific community receives fewer preventive and support police services compared to overall society.