73 intoxicated drivers from a 10-weekend roadside survey were compared to 1003 officially arrested drivers apprehended during a corresponding time period. No statistically significant arrest bias was detected by the driver's race. However, compared to the roadside survey population, lower-occupational-status drivers were significantly more likely to appear in the arrested population than an upper-status driver - especially in the slightly patrolled middle- and upper-class residential sections of town. The significance of occupational status, when combined with the finding that race was not a significant indicator of difference between the arrested and roadside survey populations, suggested that proactive police arrest bias was more a function of institutionally determined police patrol practices rather than over racial prejudice on the part of individual officers. (secondary source)
Abstract