Research

I analyze the socioeconomic and agency specific determinants which may lead to disparate treatment among black and white drivers in Missouri. I construct my data set using traffic stop data from Missouri's Vehicle Stops Reports from 2010 to 2020. I match this to geographic location characteristics such as population, unemployment rate, percent of people in poverty, etc. using data from the American Community Survey. And finally I use agency specific data about the crime rate and police employment from the FBI's Crime in the United States' Report. I then implement the Oaxaca-Blinder to decompose the effects of these characteristics on Missouri traffic stops across black and white drivers.