Jennifer Calnon Cherkauskas’s research while affiliated with University of Cincinnati and other places

This chapter considers the important and unanswered questions from existing research examining the police power to arrest and highlights directions and questions for future research studies related to this area. We argue that the most critical research needed should focus on police-decision making, as we need a better understanding regarding how and why officers make decisions to arrest. Both experimental and quasi-experimental designs are beneficial, including but not limited to designs that use multi-organizational systemic social observation (SSO) and police-academic partnerships. Additionally, natural experiments and case studies can enhance our understanding of police use of arrest and its alternatives, particularly for the impact of law and policy changes on police behavior. Specific recommendations for each sub-topic area within the larger review of literature are discussed.

Chapter Three considers the police decision to arrest, including a thorough discussion of the factors that influence this decision. Identifying the factors that influence arrest (and the relative strength of their influences) is a logical first step that provides the foundation upon which evidence-based strategies must be developed. While there are several factors empirically associated with an officer’s decision to arrest, much remains unexplained. Additionally, research exploring the decision to arrest has substantially declined in the past two decades. Following the exploration of the decision to arrest, this chapter reviews the evidence regarding mandatory arrest policies as well as proactive policing strategies and discusses their varying impacts on the use of arrest and police-decision making.

This chapter considers the different definitions of arrest and the reasons for the difficulty in creating a universally standard term. However, a singular definition is offered, which is used to guide discussions throughout this review. This chapter considers the historical use of arrest, including the evidence for the general and specific deterrent effects of police use of arrest. This chapter also discusses the many substantial direct and collateral consequences to individuals and communities. This wide range of costs emphasizes the importance of arrest, and how police can carefully consider its strategic use in order to achieve desired results.

Arrest has several substantial direct and collateral consequences for individuals and communities. Given these costs, it is important to consider the utility of alternatives to arrest. This chapter focuses on two primary forms of arrest alternatives: police-led diversion and citations in lieu of arrest. For police-led diversion, three sup-topics are discussed in detail: (1) drug offenders, (2) persons with mental illness, and (3) juvenile offenders. This chapter offers a discussion of the structure of these programs, and any preliminary evidence regarding programmatic outcomes and impacts.

The police decision to arrest is impacted by several areas, including policy, community, and law. This chapter discusses the need to better understand the long-term and unintended consequences of the decision to arrest as well as alternatives to arrest. Well-designed evaluations, particularly through the use of systematic social observation and police-academic partnerships, are argued to be particularly useful for this purpose. Legitimizing how police make decisions, particularly around the decision to arrest, is an important step to enhancing police-community relations. There is a critical need in the field of policing research to re-establish the foundation of research on police decision-making. Ultimately, this chapter considers how the police can simultaneously reduce crime and rates of arrest, by strategically using arrest and alternatives to arrest.

This insightful volume examines key research questions concerning police decision to arrest as well as police-led diversion. The authors critically evaluate the tentative answers that empirical evidence provides to those questions, and suggest areas for future inquiry. Nearly seven decades of empirical study have provided extensive knowledge regarding police use of arrest. However, this research highlights important gaps in our understanding of factors that shape police decision-making and what is required to alter current police practice. Reviewing this research base, this brief takes stock of what is known empirically about all aspects related to the use of arrests, providing important insights on the knowledge needed to make evidence-based policy decisions moving forward. With the potential to better impact policy and programs for alternatives to arrest, this brief will appeal to researchers and practitioners in evidence-based policing and police decision-making, as well as those interested in alternatives to arrest and related fields such as public policy.

Purpose Within the last 15 years, law enforcement agencies have increased their collection of data on vehicle stops. A variety of resource guides, research reports, and peer‐reviewed articles have outlined the methods used to collect these data and conduct analyses. This literature is spread across numerous publications and can be cumbersome to summarize for practical use by practitioners and academics. This article seeks to fill this gap by detailing the current best practices in vehicle stop data collection and analysis in state police agencies. Design/methodology/approach The article summarizes the data collection techniques used to assist in identifying racial/ethnic disparities in vehicle stops. Specifically, questions concerning why, when, how, and what data should be collected are addressed. The most common data analysis techniques for vehicle stops are offered, including an evaluation of common benchmarking techniques and their ability to measure at‐risk drivers. Vehicle stop outcome analyses are also discussed, including multivariate analyses and the outcome test. Within this summary, strengths and weaknesses of these techniques are explored. Findings In summarizing these approaches, a body of best practices in vehicle stop data collection and analysis is developed. Originality/value Racial profiling continues to be a contentious issue for law enforcement and the community. A considerable body of research has developed to assess the prevalence of racial profiling. This article offers social scientists and practitioners a comprehensive, succinct, peer‐reviewed summary of the best practices in vehicle stop data collection and analysis.