Understanding the role of race, gender and age in request to consent search drivers

Abstract This study sought to understand the issue of racial profiling in police requests to consent search the driver. The social conditioning model was applied as a theoretical explanation of the officer based on the citizen’s race, gender, and age. The propensity score matching (PSM) results show that Black drivers (vs. White drivers), Black male drivers (vs. White Male drivers), and young Black male drivers (vs. young white Male drivers) are all more likely to have the officer request to consent search the driver. Similar results were found when considering the reason for the stop is a moving violation. Overall, the results show evidence of racial profiling for Black drivers, Black male drivers, and young Black male drivers.