In studies of race disparities in policing, scholars generally employ quantitative methodologies with the goal of determining whether race disparities exist or, in fewer instances, of ruling out correlates. Yet, lacking from theoretical and empirical efforts is an elucidation of how and why on‐the‐ground policing produces race disparities that are justified in legal, race‐neutral terms. To address this knowledge gap, I analyze officers’ self‐reported accounts of their enforcement activities, justifications, and decision‐making in a representative sample of 300 official reports of drug arrests made in St. Louis from 2009 to 2013. These accounts are analyzed across neighborhood racial contexts and arrestee race, revealing important differences that help illuminate the race disparity problem. Unlike drug arrests in White neighborhoods or of White citizens that primarily stem from reactive policing, drug arrests in Black and racially mixed neighborhoods and of Black citizens result from officers’ greater use of discretionary stops based on neighborhood conditions, suspicion of ambiguous demeanor, or minor infractions. During such stops, officers’ discovery of drug possession often results from discretionary Terry frisks or searches incident to arrests for outstanding bench warrants. These findings fill important theoretical and empirical gaps and have implications for reforms toward racially just policing.

中文翻译：

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造成种族差异：针对各地和种族的毒品逮捕研究*

在研究警务中的种族差异时，学者们通常采用定量方法，以确定是否存在种族差异或在较少情况下排除相关性。然而，缺乏理论和经验上的努力，这说明了实地警务如何以及为什么会产生以法律，种族中立的方式辩解的种族差异。为了解决这一知识鸿沟，我以2009年至2013年在圣路易斯所作的300份关于毒品逮捕的官方报告的代表性样本中，分析了官员们关于其执法活动，理由和决策的自我报告。跨种族种族背景和被捕者种族之间的差异，揭示出有助于阐明种族差异问题的重要差异。与在白人社区或白人公民中的毒品逮捕主要源于被动警务不同，在黑人和种族混居的社区中以及黑人公民中的毒品逮捕，是由于警官根据邻里情况，根据嫌疑人的举止不当或未成年人而加大了酌处权违规行为。在这样的停留期间，军官发现毒品拥有权通常是由于酌情决定的。特里翻脸或搜查事件以逮捕出色的替补令。这些发现填补了重要的理论和经验上的空白，对种族公正警务改革产生了影响。