title: Black and Hispanic Men Perceived to Be Large Are at Increased Risk for Police Frisk, Search, and Force.
abstract: Social justice issues remain some of the most pressing problems in the United States. One aspect of social justice involves the differential treatment of demographic groups in the criminal justice system. While data consistently show that Blacks and Hispanics are often treated differently than Whites, one understudied aspect of these disparities is how police officers' assessments of suspects' size affects their decisions. Using over 3 million cases from the New York Police Department (NYPD) Stop, Question, and Frisk (SQF) Database, 2006-2013, this study is the first to explore suspects' race, perceived size, and police treatment. Results indicate that tall and heavy black and Hispanic men are at the greatest risk for frisk or search. Tall and heavy suspects are at increased risk for experiencing police force, with black and Hispanic men being more likely to experience force than white men across size categories.
authors.affiliation: Department of Sociology, University of Alabama at Birmingham, Birmingham, AL 35294, United States of America.|Nutrician Obesity Research Center, University of Alabama at Birmingham, Birmingham, AL 35294, United States of America.|Minority Health and Health Disparities Research Center, University of Alabama at Birmingham, Birmingham, AL 35294, United States of America.|Center for the Study of Community Health, University of Alabama at Birmingham, Birmingham, AL 35294, United States of America.
authors.forename: Adrienne N
authors.initials: AN
authors.lastname: Milner
authors.affiliation: Nutrician Obesity Research Center, University of Alabama at Birmingham, Birmingham, AL 35294, United States of America.|School of Public Health, University of Alabama at Birmingham, Birmingham, AL 35294, United States of America.|Office of Energetics, University of Alabama at Birmingham, Birmingham, AL 35294, United States of America.
authors.forename: Brandon J
authors.initials: BJ
authors.lastname: George
authors.affiliation: Nutrician Obesity Research Center, University of Alabama at Birmingham, Birmingham, AL 35294, United States of America.|School of Public Health, University of Alabama at Birmingham, Birmingham, AL 35294, United States of America.|Office of Energetics, University of Alabama at Birmingham, Birmingham, AL 35294, United States of America.
authors.forename: David B
authors.initials: DB
authors.lastname: Allison
mesh_terms: D000328:Adult; D001741:Black or African American / Q000208:ethnology*; D006630:Hispanic or Latino / Q000208:ethnology*; D006801:Humans; D035846:Law Enforcement; D008297:Male; D009518:New York; D010465:Perception; D016495:Police / Q000523:psychology*; D012307:Risk Factors; D044465:White People / Q000208:ethnology*; D055815:Young Adult