Asset Details
Do you wish to reserve the book?
Racial Bias in Motor Vehicle Searches: Theory and Evidence
Hey, we have placed the reservation for you!
By the way, why not check out events that you can attend while you pick your title.
Oops! Something went wrong.
Looks like we were not able to place the reservation. Kindly try again later.
Are you sure you want to remove the book from the shelf?
Racial Bias in Motor Vehicle Searches: Theory and Evidence
Do you wish to request the book?
Racial Bias in Motor Vehicle Searches: Theory and Evidence
Please be aware that the book you have requested cannot be checked out. If you would like to checkout this book, you can reserve another copy
We have requested the book for you!
Your request is successful and it will be processed during the Library working hours. Please check the status of your request in My Requests.
Oops! Something went wrong.
Looks like we were not able to place your request. Kindly try again later.
Journal Article
Racial Bias in Motor Vehicle Searches: Theory and Evidence
2001
Overview
Police checking for illegal drugs are much more likely to search the vehicles of African‐American motorists than those of white motorists. This paper develops a model of police and motorist behavior that suggests an empirical test for distinguishing whether this disparity is due to racial prejudice or to the police’s objective to maximize arrests. When applied to vehicle search data from Maryland, our test results are consistent with the hypothesis of no racial prejudice against African‐American motorists. However, if police have utility only for searches yielding large drug finds, then our analysis would suggest bias against white drivers. The model’s prediction regarding nonrace characteristics is also largely supported by the data.
