Forced Perspective: Police Officers' Personal Opinions and Racial Data Collection in Nebraska. (September 2014)

• Record Type: Journal Article
• Authors: Arp, Don
• Is Part Of: Police journal. Volume 87:Number 3(2014)
• Page Start: 195
• Page End: 200
• Publication Date: 2014-09
• Subjects: racial profiling -- race -- legislation -- data collection -- traffic stops; Police -- Periodicals; Police -- Great Britain -- Periodicals; 363.205
• DOI: 10.1350/pojo.2014.87.3.659
• Languages: English
• ISSNs: 0032-258X

Abstract

Law enforcement officers in Nebraska, as in many other states, are required to collect data concerning the perceived race of persons contacted in traffic stops and the cause for the stop. This data is then used to identify patterns of possible racial profiling. Nebraska's system forces officers to choose between six races. Interviews of officers in one police department found that their personal understandings of race did not conform with the six categories provided. This flawed collection approach, when framed within an analysis of the issues inherent in racial profiling, shows the need for policy reform in data-collection schemes.