Communications of the ACM
New Database Allows Stanford Researchers to Find Disparities in Officers' Treatment of Minority Motorists
A new national database of data on state patrol stops was created with the goal of uncovering evidence of a double standard applied to minority motorists.
Credit: Snopes.com
Researchers at Stanford University have created a new national database comprised of data on state patrol stops to uncover evidence of a double standard applied to minority motorists.
The team says they compiled more than 60 million police reports from 20 states to enable statistical deduction when analyzing the data in aggregate.
The researchers developed a "threshold test" to measure the degree of suspicion a police officer must have to conduct a search on a pulled-over driver, and how it relates to the driver's race or ethnicity. The first test of the process found black and Hispanic drivers were more likely than white drivers to be cited, searched, and arrested, and later investigation showed this pattern is a national and not a regional phenomenon.
"We've created a platform to help researchers and policymakers understand and improve policing," says Stanford professor Sharad Goel.
The dataset is being publicly released via the Stanford Open Policing Project.
From Stanford News
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