Abstract
Conflict between the police and minorities is a consistent theme in inner city neighborhoods. Most studies focus on minorities’ attitudes toward the police and overlook police experiences and perceptions, thus neglecting a vital element in understanding this relationship. The objective of this study was to understand how police officers socially construct race within Latino or African American neighborhoods. A total of N = 40 police officers were interviewed. Through qualitative analysis, police officers’ comments reveal that they may not racialize but instead moralize African American neighborhoods; alternatively, police officers voiced positive racializations for the Mexican neighborhood. The implications of these findings for future research and police–minority relations are further discussed.
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