In sheer numbers, no form of government control comes close to the police stop. Each year, twelve percent of drivers in the United States are stopped by the police, and the figure is almost double among racial minorities. Police stops are among the most recognizable and frequently criticized incidences of racial profiling, but, while numerous studies have shown that minorities are pulled over at higher rates, none have examined how police stops have come to be both encouraged and institutionalized. Pulled Over deftly traces the strange history of the investigatory police stop, from its discredited beginning as “aggressive patrolling” to its current status as accepted institutional practice. Drawing on the richest study of police stops to date, the authors show that who is stopped and how they are treated convey powerful messages about citizenship and racial disparity in the United States. For African Americans, for instance, the experience of investigatory stops erodes the perceived legitimacy of police stops and of the police generally, leading to decreased trust in the police and less willingness to solicit police assistance or to self-censor in terms of clothing or where they drive. This holds true even when police are courteous and respectful throughout the encounters and follow seemingly colorblind institutional protocols. With a growing push in recent years to use local police in immigration efforts, Hispanics stand poised to share African Americans’ long experience of investigative stops.
Latest News
Doctoral and Early Career Training School 'Researching the Experiences of Police Stops' - Call for Expressions of Interest
We are beginning to learn more about the practice of stops and searches conducted in public spaces by police officers.…
Read moreIdentifying and tackling problematic or abusive forms of police selectivity.
An action research on the problematic practices and/or mechanisms of police district of Schaerbeek-Evere-St-Josse (PolBruNo). Carroll Tange and Sarah Van…
Read moreGeorge Floyd
Watching a police officer murder a man in full view is horrifying. We feel suffocated watching it – but it…
Read morePolstops partners at the ESC2019
Don’t miss the opportunity to learn more about Polstops at the European Society of Criminology! Megan O’Neill will be chairing…
Read moreWould you like to know more?
Contact UsWant to take part of this Action?
How to join
COST Action COST (European Cooperation in Science and Technology) is a funding agency for research and innovation networks. Our Actions help connect research initiatives across Europe and enable scientists to grow their ideas by sharing them with their peers. This boosts their research, career and innovation.
Know more +