Spring 2015
Hunting for “Dirtbags”: Why Cops Over-police the Poor and Racial Minorities
Lori Beth Way and Ryan Patten ’03 PhD
Northeastern University Press, 2013
In this day of increased scrutiny of police, many people wonder about policing styles and how officers use their unassigned time. The high rate of minority arrests and stops as well as the higher level of surveillance in poor communities have also come into question.
With these things in mind, two political science colleagues at California State University, Chico explored what factors influence police officers’ decisions on their policing strategies. Patten and … » More …