Race, Policing, and the Fourth Amendment: What Do Numbers Reveal?
Location
PENGL 269, SJU
Event Website
https://www.csbsju.edu/mathematics/pi-mu-epsilon-conference/conference-details/
Start Date
10-4-2026 8:00 PM
Description
We know all too well that encounters with law enforcement make national headlines when they end in tragedy. While these events draw intense public attention, most police stops occur outside of public view. How can we better understand everyday policing beyond the cases in the national spotlight? Many agencies collect data, but what can we learn beyond simply counting who is stopped? When a driver is pulled over, the stop may include a frisk or search, but only under specific legal conditions. This naturally raises questions: Who is searched, and under what basis? Are drivers asked to give consent to a search, thereby waiving their Fourth Amendment rights? Who agrees, and who declines? Our window in can not only illuminate racial and ethnic disparities but can also point to concrete policy recommendations. We will see that mathematics and statistics have a critical role to play in understanding questions of justice and shaping public policy in our own communities.
Race, Policing, and the Fourth Amendment: What Do Numbers Reveal?
PENGL 269, SJU
We know all too well that encounters with law enforcement make national headlines when they end in tragedy. While these events draw intense public attention, most police stops occur outside of public view. How can we better understand everyday policing beyond the cases in the national spotlight? Many agencies collect data, but what can we learn beyond simply counting who is stopped? When a driver is pulled over, the stop may include a frisk or search, but only under specific legal conditions. This naturally raises questions: Who is searched, and under what basis? Are drivers asked to give consent to a search, thereby waiving their Fourth Amendment rights? Who agrees, and who declines? Our window in can not only illuminate racial and ethnic disparities but can also point to concrete policy recommendations. We will see that mathematics and statistics have a critical role to play in understanding questions of justice and shaping public policy in our own communities.
https://digitalcommons.csbsju.edu/math_pi_mu_epsilon/2026/event/2