Racial Profiling and Organizational Change

Abstract

The purpose of this research was to determine whether police organizations while conducting race-based policing studies dependent on officer-generated forms are affected operationally or, because of the study’s findings, experience organizational change. Using a survey, the researchers asked departments about organizational changes resulting from race-based policing studies. In addition, the researchers compared the primary productivity measures of each department during the data collection periods with those of the corresponding period in the previous years to determine if the data collection process was reactive. The researchers found that police organizations have yet to experience substantial organizational change because of findings of racial or ethnic disparity in their routine enforcement activities. In addition, officer-generated information does not appear to be reactive.