Racial Profiling: They Stopped Me Because I'm ------------!

234 Pages·2012·7.833 MB·English

by  Michael L. Birzer

FORENSICS AND CRIMINAL JUSTICE
Birzer
Racial Profiling
They Stopped Me Because I’m !
Many racial minority communities claim profiling occurs frequently in their neighborhoods.
Police authorities, for the most part, deny that they engage in racially biased police
tactics. A handful of books have been published on the topic, but they tend to offer only
anecdotal reports offering little reliable insight. Few use a qualitative methodological lens
to provide the context of how minority citizens experience racial profiling.
Racial Profiling: They Stopped Me Because I’m ! places minority citizens
R
who believe they have been racially profiled by police authorities at the center of the
a
data. Using primary empirical studies and extensive, in-depth interviews, the book draws
c
on nearly two years of field research into how minorities experience racial profiling by
i
police authorities. a
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The author interviewed more than 100 racial and ethnic minority citizens. Citing 87 of P
these cases, the book examines each individual case and employs a rigorous qualitative r
o
phenomenological method to develop dominant themes and determine their associated
f
meaning. Through an exploration of these themes, we can learn: i
l
i
n
• What racial profiling is, its historical context, and how formal legal codes
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and public policy generally define it
• The best methods of data collection and the advantages of collecting
racial profiling data
• How certain challenges can prevent data collection from properly identifying
racial profiling or bias-based policing practices
• Data analysis and methods of determining the validity of the data
• The impact of pretextual stops and the effect of Whren v. United States
A compelling account of how minority citizens experi ence racial profiling and how they
ascribe and give meaning to these experi ences, the book provides a candid discussion of
what the findings of the research mean for the police, racial minority citizens, and future
racial profiling research.
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Racial
Profiling
They Stopped Me Because I’m
!
Racial
Profiling
They Stopped Me Because I’m
!
Michael L. Birzer
Boca Raton London New York
CRC Press is an imprint of the
Taylor & Francis Group, an informa business
CRC Press
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Version Date: 20120719
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I dedicate this book to my loving wife, Gwynne,
and my precious son, Michael Jr.

Contents
Preface xiii
Acknowledgments xxi
About the Author xxiii
1 Stylin’ n’ Profilin’ 1
Introduction 1
Richard’s Story 1
David’s Story 3
Purpose of the Book 4
The Cambridge Incident 4
Scope of the Problem 8
Defining Racial Profiling 13
Criminal Profiling 15
What’s in a Name? 16
Experience Is Powerful 17
Discussion Questions 19
References 19
Cases Cited 21
2 Putting Racial Profiling into Context 23
Introduction 23
Vigilante Justice? 24
Experience Matters 26
A History of Disparate Treatment 27
Color by the Numbers 27
A Legacy of Racialized Justice 28
The Thin Blue Line 34
The War on Drugs 34
Intensified War Efforts 36
Collateral Damage 38
Policing and the War 40
Discussion Questions 41
References 41
vii
viii Contents
3 What about Congress, Data Collection, and the
Court? 45
Introduction 45
Congressional Mandates 46
Missouri 50
Texas 50
Kansas 51
Washington State 52
Connecticut 53
New York 53
Police Stop Data 54
Data Collection Methods 60
Benchmark Data 60
External Benchmark Data 62
Traffic Surveys 63
Internal Benchmarking 64
Search Data 65
Final Thoughts on Data Collection 66
Did the Supreme Court Sanction Racial Profiling? 66
The Whren Decision 66
Would Have, Could Have, Should Have 70
What Would a New Test Look Like? 71
Discussion Questions 74
References 74
Cases Cited 75
4 Phenomenology as Method in Racial Profiling
Research 77
Introduction 77
Framing the Study 78
Alternative Epistemology 79
The Paradigm Divide 79
Qualitative Research 81
Inductive and Deductive Reasoning 83
Multiple Data Sources 84
The Discovery of Meaning 84
Phenomenology 85
Selecting Participants 86
Advertising 87
Screening 87
A Portrait of the Participants and Setting 88
Contents ix
Treatment of Data 91
Analyzing Phenomenological Data 92
Discussion Questions 94
References 94
5 Experiencing Racial Profiling 97
Introduction 97
Constructing the Stop 97
Theme 1: Emotional/Affective 98
Theme 2: The Symbolic Vehicle 105
Theme 3: Nature of the Traffic Violation 110
Theme 4: Officer Demeanor 113
Theme 5: Normative Experiences 117
Theme 6: Race and Place 118
Coercion and Appearance 121
Feeling Compelled 122
Symbolic Appearance 122
Unifying Experience 125
Berry’s Story 125
Discussion Questions 128
References 129
6 Trusting the Data 131
Introduction 131
Validity 131
Internal Validity 132
External Validity 132
Face Validity 132
Content Validity 133
Construct Validity 133
Reliability 133
Trustworthiness 134
Member Checks 136
Triangulation 136
Collaboration 137
Rich, Thick Descriptions 137
Researcher Reflexivity 138
Interview Memo 139
Setting 139
The Interview 139
Descriptive Notes 139
Reflective Notes 140