Detective Effort Among Complainant and Suspect Racial and Ethnic Dyads: An Exploration

Abstract

The gap between citizen perceptions and the realities of police work is most pronounced among detective work: Little, for example, is known about how detectives use their investigative discretion. To overcome this issue within the context of race/ethnicity, detectives reported the amount of time they worked assigned cases. These data were paired with case file information containing the complainant and suspect’s racial and ethnic identity. Dyads of complainant and suspect racial/ethnic arrangements were explored to see whether there was a difference in the likelihood that a case would be worked and for how long it was worked. The results were mixed: There was no difference in the likelihood that a case would be worked or how long it was worked across differing complainant racial/ethnic identities. Cases with a minority suspect, however, were more likely to be worked and for longer periods of time. The implications for these findings are discussed.