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Racial Prejudice Predicts Police Militarization
Tyler Jimenez1, Peter J Helm2, Jamie Arndt2
1Department of Psychology, University of Washington.
Psychological Science
|October 19, 2022
Summary
Racial prejudice is linked to increased police militarization in the United States. Studies show that higher levels of prejudice correlate with greater support for and acquisition of militarized police equipment.
Area of Science:
- Social Psychology
- Criminology
- Sociology
Background:
- Police militarization in the U.S. is a growing concern.
- The racial dimensions of police militarization are known, but the link to racial prejudice is under-explored.
Purpose of the Study:
- To investigate the relationship between racial prejudice and police militarization.
- To examine this link at both individual and regional levels.
Main Methods:
- Study 1: Survey of 765 White Americans to assess prejudice and support for police militarization.
- Study 2: Analysis of regional prejudice data (Project Implicit) and police equipment acquisition data (Defense Logistics Agency) for over 3 million individuals.
Main Results:
- Individual-level: White Americans with higher racial prejudice showed greater support for police militarization.
- Regional-level: States with higher aggregate racial prejudice among White Americans had police departments that acquired more militarized equipment.
Conclusions:
- Racial prejudice is a significant predictor of police militarization.
- Findings indicate that both attitudes and policy decisions regarding police militarization are influenced by racial prejudice.
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