Does Race Influence Police Disciplinary Processes?

This article examines racial parity in the formal disciplinary system of the Philadelphia Police Department (PPD). Data drawn from a random sample of 499 Philadelphia police officers are linked to official data drawn from the PPD disciplinary database. Results suggest that about one third of the sample was charged with a disciplinary offense. When we examined the extent to which race influenced the various stages of the disciplinary process (charge, hearing, guilty), we failed to uncover a significant effect for race. This null effect was observed in both bivariate and multivariate settings. Implications for police practice and future research are addressed.