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Full-Text Articles in Criminology
The Formation Of A Citizen-Police Encounter And Its Effect On Dispositional Outcomes For Traffic Stops In A City And County Jurisdiction, Darby A. Semenza
The Formation Of A Citizen-Police Encounter And Its Effect On Dispositional Outcomes For Traffic Stops In A City And County Jurisdiction, Darby A. Semenza
Graduate Student Theses, Dissertations, & Professional Papers
This research extends Donald Black’s (1976) theory of law to a large, more diverse sample of traffic stops than previous research. The theory suggests that with every citizen-police encounter, there is social distance separating the two parties. This distance is based on observable characteristics of both the officer and citizen involved. Specifically, their gender, age, race, demeanor, and whether they differ across these variables or not. A large difference in “social distance” increases the likelihood that an officer will cite a motorist; while a small distance reduces this likelihood. Social distance is the amount of diversity between two parties in …