The effect of highly publicized police killings on policing: Evidence from large U.S. cities
Abstract
Do highly publicized police killings of civilians have a widespread effect on policing activities? Focusing on such incidents in the United States during 2014–2016 and adopting different identification strategies, we study the effect in large U.S. cities. We conduct a single-city analysis of St. Louis and a multi-city analysis of 60 large cities. Our regression discontinuity and difference-in-differences estimates provide consistent and strong evidence that those high-profile killings reduced policing activities, including police self-initiated activities and arrests. The estimated reduction in self-initiated activities shows that police officers proactively withdrew from law enforcement activities, providing direct evidence of de-policing.