Consistent with previous findings, the study found a significant effect of drivers’ race and gender on officers’ decision to search a vehicle or driver and invoke a legal sanction. Findings indicated that African-American male drivers in both 2001 and 2002 were more likely than White male drivers to be searched. African-American male drivers, however, were less likely than White male drivers to receive a legal sanction in 2001. Unexpectedly, the results showed that Asian drivers were less likely to be searched, but more likely to receive legal sanctions than White drivers. Findings also revealed significant effects of legal and extralegal factors on officers’ decision to search a driver/vehicle and to invoke a legal sanction. Drivers who were stopped for seatbelt violations, alcohol violations, as well as BOL (open liquor bottle) were more likely to be searched than those stopped for speed violations. The results of this study add understanding of racial profiling during traffic stops. Racial profiling is one of the most controversial issues that have recently garnered significant attention from researchers. Recently, a significant number of studies have examined racial profiling within the context of law enforcement during traffic stops. This study examined police traffic stop data collected during 2001-2002 in a university setting. Logistic regression analyses were performed to examine the effect of drivers’ race and gender on the officers’ decision to search a vehicle or driver and invoke a legal sanction. (Author/publisher)
Abstract