Black and Hispanic Men Perceived to Be Large Are at Increased Risk for Police Frisk, Search, and Force

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.

Below:  The adjusted odds ratios for the suspect being frisked or searched by race, height, and weight category compared to white suspects with weight 141–204 pounds and 66–72” in height, controlling for stop characteristics. The blue circle denotes white (W) suspects, the red diamond denotes black (B) suspects, and the green square denotes Hispanic (H) suspects. Error bars indicate the 99% confidence interval for the group estimates.

Below:  The adjusted odds ratios for the suspect having force used on them by race, height, and weight category compared to white suspects with weight 141–204 lbs. and 66–72” in height, controlling for stop characteristics.  The blue circle denotes white (W) suspects, the red diamond denotes black (B) suspects, and the green square denotes Hispanic (H) suspects. Error bars indicate the 99% confidence interval for the group estimates.

Below:  The adjusted odds ratios for the suspect being frisked or searched (top) or having force used on them (bottom) by race and BMI category compared to normal weight white suspects, controlling for stop characteristics. The blue circle denotes white suspects, the red diamond denotes black suspects, and the green square denotes Hispanic suspects. Error bars indicate the 99% confidence interval for the group estimates.

Full article at:   http://goo.gl/L48OrV

By:  Milner AN1,2,3,4, George BJ2,5,6, Allison DB2,5,6.

• 1Department of Sociology, University of Alabama at Birmingham, Birmingham, AL 35294, United States of America.
• 2Nutrician Obesity Research Center, University of Alabama at Birmingham, Birmingham, AL 35294, United States of America.
• 3Minority Health and Health Disparities Research Center, University of Alabama at Birmingham, Birmingham, AL 35294, United States of America.
• 4Center for the Study of Community Health, University of Alabama at Birmingham, Birmingham, AL 35294, United States of America.
• 5School of Public Health, University of Alabama at Birmingham, Birmingham, AL 35294, United States of America.
• 6Office of Energetics, University of Alabama at Birmingham, Birmingham, AL 35294, United States of America
• PLoS One. 2016 Jan 19;11(1):e0147158. doi: 10.1371/journal.pone.0147158. 

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