“Language from Police Body Camera Footage shows Racial Disparities in Officer Respect” by Voigt et al investigates almost exactly what the title describes.
I am surprised they mention cases of conflict between communities and their police forces only in the midwest and east coast states, but then go on to study the police force in Oakland California. If the study was looking to impact public perception on the conflicts between police forces and their communities, then I would think the best approach would be to study the areas where the conflicts take place. I am not sure what the authors would conclude if they didn’t find supporting evidence of their argument. Would the authors claim that police forces in general do not treat black drivers differently? Or would they then claim that Oakland police forces are more respectful than their counterparts in other areas? Applying this same analysis to the cities mentioned as conflicted and comparing the results could answer these questions readily. It would also provide a more impactful conclusion since it can rule out alternative explanations.
An extension of the study would be very helpful to see if this racial disparity is persistent or changeable. If the same analysis was used on data that came before major news stories on the behavior of police officers, maybe these ideas could be explored. Future studies and follow-ups with this analysis could also show how police respond following a news event or change when adopting new tactics. High profile police cases likely have an effect on police behavior far from the incident, and this effect could be measured.
