Social and Behavioral Sciences Commons^™

Towards An Understanding Of Modern Policing Norms: Social Identity, Organization Identity, And Efficient Policing, Billy R. Close, Patrick Leon Mason

Patrick L. Mason

This study examines the relationship between bureaucratic identity, social identity and policing outcomes. We utilize alternative outcomes tests to examine traffic stop data collected by the Florida Highway Patrol during 2000-2009. This study finds that representation of African American and Hispanic troopers improves outcomes for all groups of drivers, by increasing efficiency in searches. All troopers, regardless of race, engage in fewer searches when they are assigned to racially diverse or minority troops. Importantly, we show that this decrease in search activity simultaneously yields higher hit rates, thereby increasing efficiency. Finally, the data reveal that the greatest change in search …