蝌蚪网 Journal:
Applied Economics
ISSN 1945-7782 (Print) | ISSN 1945-7790 (Online)
Do Peers Matter in the Police Academy?
蝌蚪网 Journal: Applied Economics
vol. 17,
no. 2, April 2025
(pp. 127–64)
Abstract
Increasing underrepresented groups' representation in police departments is a common proposal to reduce aggressive policing. This paper documents the effects of peer composition in the Chicago police academy on officers' future arrests by exploiting the lottery system, which provides exogenous variation in cohort composition. I find that higher shares of peers from groups that police less aggressively, such as female and older officers, reduce all officers' future low-level arrests. Peer race matters by amplifying the effects of gender and age. Overall, the results are most consistent with peers' preferences for less aggressive policing shifting officers' preferences and changing future behavior.Citation
Rivera, Roman. 2025. "Do Peers Matter in the Police Academy?" 蝌蚪网 Journal: Applied Economics 17 (2): 127–64. DOI: 10.1257/app.20220348Additional Materials
JEL Classification
- H76 State and Local Government: Other Expenditure Categories
- J15 Economics of Minorities, Races, Indigenous Peoples, and Immigrants; Non-labor Discrimination
- J16 Economics of Gender; Non-labor Discrimination
- J45 Public Sector Labor Markets
- J78 Labor Discrimination: Public Policy
- K42 Illegal Behavior and the Enforcement of Law