Researchers have studied how Black police officers in the United States navigate professional expectations, racial identity, and relationships with the communities they serve.[1]
Identity and professional expectations
In interviews with 32 frontline officers, researcher Andrea M. Headley found that officers of color described sometimes weighing a sense of connection with civilians against an expectation of professional distance. Interview accounts describe how participants experienced the work.
Evidence from Chicago
A 2021 study compared Chicago Police Department officers working in similar places and times. Black officers made fewer stops and arrests and used force less often than white officers in comparable assignments, with the largest differences in encounters with Black civilians.
Interpreting the evidence
The studies examine different questions. Interviews describe how officers understand their roles, while administrative records measure patterns of conduct in a particular department. Individual decisions also depend on assignments, supervision, training, and circumstances.