Pulled Over: How Police Stops Define Race and Citizenship

by Charles R. Epp, Steven Maynard-Moody, Donald Haider-Markel

In sheer numbers, no form of government control comes close to the police stop. Each year, twelve percent of drivers in the United States are stopped by the police, and the figure is almost double among racial minorities. Police stops are among the most recognizable and frequently criticized incidences of racial profiling, but, while numerous studies have shown that minorities are pulled over at higher rates, none have examined how police stops have come to be both encouraged and institutionalized.Pulled Over deftly traces the strange history of the investigatory police stop, from its discredited beginning as “aggressive patrolling” to its current status as accepted institutional practice. Drawing on the richest study of police stops to date, the authors show that who is stopped and how they are treated convey powerful messages about citizenship and racial disparity in the United States. For African Americans, for instance, the experience of investigatory stops erodes the perceived legitimacy of police stops and of the police generally, leading to decreased trust in the police and less willingness to solicit police assistance or to self-censor in terms of clothing or where they drive. This holds true even when police are courteous and respectful throughout the encounters and follow seemingly colorblind institutional protocols. With a growing push in recent years to use local police in immigration efforts, Hispanics stand poised to share African Americans’ long experience of investigative stops.  In a country that celebrates democracy and racial equality, investigatory stops have a profound and deleterious effect on African American and other minority communities that merits serious reconsideration. Pulled Over offers practical recommendations on how reforms can protect the rights of citizens and still effectively combat crime.

Genres: Sociology, Nonfiction, Academic, Race, School, Politics, Public Policy

274 pages, Kindle Edition

First published April 4, 2014

Reviews

[Hayden Casey · Rating 4 out of 5]

a convincing compilation of evidence, though its redundancy made it sloughy at times

[Shannon Wyss · Rating 5 out of 5]

An excellent analysis of the racism inherent in investigatory stops (a concept that i didn't even have before starting this book). Definitely an academic study, but one that uses both quantitative and qualitative data and that's not unreadable. If you can handle academic books, this one is 100% worth your time.

[Cara Paliakas · Rating 4 out of 5]

i had to read parts of this book for my criminal justice class, but decided to read the rest in the meantime since i was really sucked in by it.

this book is a comprehensive collection of data, surveys, and interviews that highlights a simple fact — racial disparities exist in police stops and these stops are used as justification for intrusive searches and questions. as stated throughout the book, for Black people, a police stop is never just a stop.

So many of the institutionalized practices that have been implemented into police departments are “racially neutral on the surface, but racially framed in their deepest structure and implementation.”

the book was a bit repetitive but i didn’t mind it too much because it helped the information really sink in for me. my only other bone to pick is the authors are three white men… that’s not *inherently* a problem per say, but these issues and polices are targeting individuals and communities that they are not a part of. i would like to know how many black voices were included in the conversations that took place around this book. it would only enhance the book and it’s depth, along with its credibility.

[Rebecca · Rating 4 out of 5]

Read for work, and it is very specific, but I was fully persuaded by it and found it compelling.

[Kathy Brown · Rating 5 out of 5]

Eye opening. because I'm naive.

[Brianna Herndon · Rating 3 out of 5]

Important thesis but highly redundant. You could basically read chapters 1, 2, and 8 and would understand the arguments of the whole book.

[Noah · Rating 3 out of 5]

lots of good research goes into this, would be cool if it didn’t repeat the same concepts and ideas in as many ways as they could

[Taylor Nikolaus · Rating 3 out of 5]

Great research and analysis. Written as an academic paper though not a book so it was really slow and repetitive.

[maggie · Rating 3 out of 5]

Comprehensive, covers everything it needs to, easy to understand, but redundant at times & a bit hard to get through for that reason

[Amy Carrigan · Rating 4 out of 5]

This book provides statistical analysis of something I've been aware of for a long long time - the vast difference in the way police engage white and black citizens. It's unsettling on so many levels to see it right there in, ahem, black and white. The authors mostly prove 'it's a thing' which is probably completely unnecessary to a person inclined to read this book.

[Jade]

Read for SOC 4125: Policing America