Study Finds Black Cops Disciplined More Than White Cops

In news that is absolutely shocking to no one, a study has found that Black cops are more likely to be disciplined than white cops.

According to Indiana University, despite an equal number of allegations being filed against both groups, Black cops are more likely to face disciplinary action. The study, titled “The Race Discipline Gap: A Cautionary Note on Archival Measures of Behavioral Misconduct,” was conducted by six professors at Kelley School of Business at Indiana University.

“It is impossible to know whether these differences are due to racial bias versus some other unmeasured factors. However, it is noteworthy that the pattern of results is in line with what theories of racial bias would predict and with evidence of racial disparities in punishment in other settings,” the study read.

The professors compiled archival data from police departments in Chicago, Los Angeles and Philadelphia. The data revealed that Black officers in Philadelphia were 48 percent more likely to be disciplined than their white counterparts. In Chicago, that number increased to 105 percent. The allegations leveled against the officers included lack of service as well as physical and verbal assault.

“Just as bias by police against citizens has been very slow to change, it is likely that any bias within police departments has also been slow to change,” the study wrote.

I mean, I’m not exactly shocked that police racism extends to within the police itself. It’s not like you just flip the racism switch on and off.

From Indiana University:

The professors analyzed archival information from the Citizens Police Data Project, which features information collected by the Chicago Police Department from 2001 to 2008 and 2011 to 2015, as well as administrative records from the Philadelphia Police Department from 1991 to 1998.

They also used data collected by the Analysis Group for the City of Los Angeles in 2003 and 2004 to assess whether there are race differences in the number of allegations made against officers. The results of their analysis of data from Chicago and Los Angeles found no differences in allegations between Black and white officers. Results were mixed for Hispanic and Asian officers.

The study was designed to use archival data to measure how disciplinary action varies between the races. Given that prior studies have revealed disproportionate outcomes for Black people when it comes to prison sentences, school suspensions, and arrests, the researchers wanted to examine if there were differences in disciplinary outcomes in the workplace.

Surprise, surprise, there were.

“Similar to the issues facing the criminal justice and education systems, where racial disparities in punishment are well-documented, organizations face a difficult challenge in detecting and enforcing misconduct,” researchers wrote. “Even when organizations adopt seemingly objective policies for addressing misconduct, it is still possible for certain groups to be disproportionately accused of misconduct and/or disciplined.”