The puzzling neglect of Hispanic Americans in research on police–citizen relations

Abstract

Most studies of police–minority relations in America focus on blacks, usually in comparison with whites. This pattern is particularly puzzling in light of the growing population of Hispanic Americans throughout the US, now outnumbering blacks and consisting of the majority in some major cities. Aside from the need for more empirical research on the policing of Hispanics per se, comparing Hispanics’ relations with the police to other racial and ethnic groups offers some important insights into both the dimensions that are shared across groups and those that are distinctive to Hispanics. This article critically evaluates the small body of empirical research literature on this topic – highlighting both deficiencies in this literature as well as suggestive findings – and concludes by identifying a set of issues that should be addressed in future studies. The available evidence largely supports a racial-hierarchy perspective with regard to the policing of different racial and ethnic groups in the US.

Keywords:

• Police–minority relations
• police misconduct
• racial hierarchy
• Latino immigrants

Notes

1. I use the term ‘Hispanic’ interchangeably with ‘Latino,’ and ‘black’ interchangeably with ‘African American’.

2. A racial hierarchy also exists in Britain, with South Asians (i.e. Pakistanis, Indians, Bangladeshis) positioned in between whites and blacks in their attitudes and reported experiences with the police. However, the hierarchy appears to be more fluid in Britain than in the US, with British Asians sometimes reporting experiences quite similar to or even worse than those of blacks (Bradford 2011). Recurrent complaints in inner-city South Asian communities concern both inadequate police services and abusive treatment by officers (Webster 2004).

3. A study of immigration laws at the state level found no support for the threat hypothesis. In fact, US states with larger Hispanic and foreign-born populations as well as more liberal citizen and government attitudes were associated with more pro-immigrant laws (services, protections), whereas states characterized by conservative citizen ideology had more restrictive immigration laws (Chavez and Provine 2009).

4. Research documenting the impact of these factors is voluminous (e.g. Smith, Graham, and Adams 1991; Brown and Benedict 2002; NRC 2004; Weitzer and Tuch 2006), but little of it is specifically focused on Latino Americans.

5. A former gang member who grew up in the area of Oakland where he conducted his research and who strongly identified with his subjects, Rios (2011, 9, 169) acknowledges that his study may lack objectivity.

6. The policy was widely publicized and prompted street demonstrations and a boycott of local businesses.

Additional information

Notes on contributors

Ronald Weitzer

RONALD WEITZER is Professor in the Department of Sociology at George Washington University.