Disparities in police responses to black and white people have received significant research and public attention in recent years. A new study by Robert Motley Jr., a doctoral student and Sean Joe, the Benjamin E. Youngdahl Professor of Social Development at the Brown School of Washington University in St. Louis, examines the use of force by police officers when factors such as race, gender and income are taken into account. The authors found that the police use of force was significantly more likely for black women with incomes over $50,000.

Robert Motley Jr.

For black men, however, the lower their income the more likely they were to be the subject of police force. For black residents, being male and having an income under $20,000 significantly increased the risk for exposure to police use of force during a street stop.

“Police Use of Force by Ethnicity, Sex, and Socioeconomic Class,” examined 2011 data from the Bureau of Justice Statistics on black and white people who had involuntary contact with police officers during a street stop.

The authors note that previous research found that “middle-class black people were significantly more likely than disadvantaged black people to view the practice of racial profiling as widespread and to report that they have experienced it personally. Similarly, research examining experiences with racialized, biased policing among black residents revealed that perceived discriminatory police actions are greatest for Black people residing in predominantly white affluent neighborhoods.”

In other words, more educated and affluent black women – particularly those in predominantly white neighborhoods – may be more likely to challenge what they perceive to be racially discriminatory policing and therefore are more likely to be met with force in return.

The study was published on the website of the Journal of the Society for Social Work and Research.