Testing for Racial Profiling With the Veil-of-Darkness Method
- 1University at Albany, SUNY, NY, USA
- 2The John F. Finn Institute for Public Safety, Inc., Albany, NY, USA
- Robert E. Worden, School of Criminal Justice, University at Albany, SUNY, 135 Western Avenue, Albany, NY 12222, USA Email: rworden{at}albany.edu
Abstract
The “veil-of-darkness” method is an innovative and low-cost approach that circumvents many of the benchmarking issues that arise in testing for racial profiling. Changes in natural lighting are used to establish a presumptively more race-neutral benchmark on the assumption that after dark, police suffer an impaired ability to detect motorists’ race. Applying the veil-of-darkness method to vehicle stops by the Syracuse (NY) police between 2006 and 2009 and examining differences among officers assigned to specialized traffic units and crime-suppression units, we found that African Americans were no more likely to be stopped during daylight than during darkness, indicating no racial bias.
Article Notes
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Robert E. Worden is associate professor of criminal justice and public policy at the University at Albany, State University of New York, and the director of the John F. Finn Institute. He holds a PhD in political science from the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill. He previously served on the faculties of the University of Georgia and Michigan State University. His scholarship has appeared in a number of academic journals, and his research has been funded by the National Institute of Justice, the Bureau of Justice Assistance, the New York State Division of Criminal Justice Services, and other sponsors.
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Sarah J. McLean is the associate director and the director of research and technical assistance at the John F. Finn Institute. She holds a PhD in criminal justice from the University at Albany, State University of New York, with a specialization in policy and process. At the Finn Institute, she participates in research that examines the effectiveness of strategic and programmatic crime reduction initiatives. She previously worked as a research associate at the Hindelang Criminal Justice Research Center of the University at Albany and prior to that as a research associate at the National Center for Mental Health and Juvenile Justice (NCMHJJ).
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Andrew P. Wheeler is a doctoral student in the School of Criminal Justice at the University of Albany, State University of New York, and an analyst at the John F. Finn Institute. His general research interests include aftercare and reintegration, proactive police deterrence, and spatial analytical techniques.
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The authors declared no potential conflicts of interest with respect to the research, authorship, and/or publication of this article.
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The authors disclosed receipt of the following financial support for the research, authorship, and/or publication of this article: This analysis was partially supported through a contract with the Onondaga County District Attorney’s Office, under which we served as the research partner to a crime-reduction task force.
- © SAGE Publications 2012
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