ABSTRACT

A growing body of evidence shows that minorities are disproportionately targeted for hate crimes. However, few studies have examined how increasing the representation of minority officers in police departments can impact hate crime rates. Drawing on cross-section and longitudinal data from sources such as Law Enforcement Management and Administration Statistics (LEMAS), the U.S. Census, and Challengers from the Sidelines, the current study examines the relationship between police diversity and hate crimes. We hypothesize that high levels of police diversity will be associated with low hate crime rates. Moreover, we argue that the relationship between police diversity and hate crimes is moderated by police departments’ geographic location (urban, rural, and suburban), hate crime laws, and high-profile hate crime cases. The findings reveal that police diversity is associated with low hate crime rates in our longitudinal analyses. Also, the police diversity-hate crime nexus is moderated by geographic location, suggesting the effect of police diversity on hate crimes was stronger in urban police districts relative to suburban and rural districts. Our findings move beyond prior studies by proposing conditions under which police diversity may be most meaningful. Thus, police diversity can help reduce hate crimes, particularly in urban districts.

摘要

越来越多的证据表明，少数族裔不成比例地成为仇恨犯罪的目标。然而，很少有研究研究增加少数族裔警察在警察部门的代表性如何影响仇恨犯罪率。目前的研究利用来自执法管理和行政统计 (LEMAS)、美国人口普查和副业挑战者等来源的横截面和纵向数据，研究了警察多样性与仇恨犯罪之间的关系。我们假设高水平的警察多样性将与低仇恨犯罪率相关。此外，我们认为警察多元化与仇恨犯罪之间的关系受到警察部门的地理位置（城市、农村和郊区）、仇恨犯罪法和备受瞩目的仇恨犯罪案件的影响。研究结果表明，在我们的纵向分析中，警察的多样性与低仇恨犯罪率有关。此外，警察多元化与仇恨犯罪的关系受到地理位置的影响，这表明警察多元化对仇恨犯罪的影响在城市警区比郊区和农村地区更强。我们的研究结果超越了先前的研究，提出了警察多样性可能最有意义的条件。因此，警察多元化有助于减少仇恨犯罪，尤其是在市区。我们的研究结果超越了先前的研究，提出了警察多样性可能最有意义的条件。因此，警察多元化有助于减少仇恨犯罪，尤其是在市区。我们的研究结果超越了先前的研究，提出了警察多样性可能最有意义的条件。因此，警察多元化有助于减少仇恨犯罪，尤其是在市区。