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How Do NYPD Officers Respond to Terror Threats?

Author

Listed:
  • Steven F. Lehrer
  • Louis‐Pierre Lepage
Abstract
Using data from the Stop‐and‐Frisk programme of the New York Police Department (NYPD), we evaluate the impact of a specific terrorist attack threat from Al Qaeda on policing behaviour in New York City. We find that after the Department of Homeland Security raised the alert level in response to this threat, people categorized as ‘Other’ by the NYPD, including Arabs, were significantly more likely to be frisked and have force used against them, yet were not more likely to be arrested. These individuals were in turn less likely to be frisked or have force used against them immediately after the alert level returned to its baseline level. Further, evidence suggests that these impacts were larger in magnitude in police precincts that have higher concentrations of mosques. Our results are consistent with profiling by police officers leading to low‐productivity stops, but we cannot rule out that it constitutes efficient policing given important differences between deterrence of terrorism versus other crimes.

Suggested Citation

  • Steven F. Lehrer & Louis‐Pierre Lepage, 2020. "How Do NYPD Officers Respond to Terror Threats?," Economica, London School of Economics and Political Science, vol. 87(347), pages 638-661, July.
    • Handle: RePEc:bla:econom:v:87:y:2020:i:347:p:638-661
    DOI: 10.1111/ecca.12328
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    References listed on IDEAS

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    1. Mirko Draca & Stephen Machin & Robert Witt, 2011. "Panic on the Streets of London: Police, Crime, and the July 2005 Terror Attacks," American Economic Review, American Economic Association, vol. 101(5), pages 2157-2181, August.
    2. Shi, Lan, 2009. "The limit of oversight in policing: Evidence from the 2001 Cincinnati riot," Journal of Public Economics, Elsevier, vol. 93(1-2), pages 99-113, February.
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    5. Jason Abaluck & Leila Agha & Chris Kabrhel & Ali Raja & Arjun Venkatesh, 2016. "The Determinants of Productivity in Medical Testing: Intensity and Allocation of Care," American Economic Review, American Economic Association, vol. 106(12), pages 3730-3764, December.
    6. Klick, Jonathan & Tabarrok, Alexander, 2005. "Using Terror Alert Levels to Estimate the Effect of Police on Crime," Journal of Law and Economics, University of Chicago Press, vol. 48(1), pages 267-279, April.
    7. Cumby, Robert E & Huizinga, John, 1992. "Testing the Autocorrelation Structure of Disturbances in Ordinary Least Squares and Instrumental Variables Regressions," Econometrica, Econometric Society, vol. 60(1), pages 185-195, January.
    8. Lorraine Mazerolle & Sarah Bennett & Jacqueline Davis & Elise Sargeant & Matthew Manning, 2013. "Legitimacy in Policing: A Systematic Review," Campbell Systematic Reviews, John Wiley & Sons, vol. 9(1), pages -147.
    9. repec:cai:poeine:pope_1203_0349 is not listed on IDEAS
    10. Steven F. Lehrer & Louis-Pierre Lepage, 2019. "Does Selective Crime Reporting Influence Our Ability to Detect Racial Discrimination in the Nypd’s Stop-and-Frisk Program?," Advances in Econometrics, in: The Econometrics of Complex Survey Data, volume 39, pages 259-286, Emerald Group Publishing Limited.
    11. Decio Coviello & Nicola Persico, 2015. "An Economic Analysis of Black-White Disparities in the New York Police Department's Stop-and-Frisk Program," The Journal of Legal Studies, University of Chicago Press, vol. 44(2), pages 315-360.
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    Cited by:

    1. Nils Braakmann, 2022. "Does stop and search reduce crime? Evidence from street‐level data and a surge in operations following a high‐profile crime," Journal of the Royal Statistical Society Series A, Royal Statistical Society, vol. 185(3), pages 1370-1397, July.
    2. Kevin Petersen & David Weisburd & Sydney Fay & Elizabeth Eggins & Lorraine Mazerolle, 2023. "Police stops to reduce crime: A systematic review and meta‐analysis," Campbell Systematic Reviews, John Wiley & Sons, vol. 19(1), March.
    3. Nasreen Nawaz & Omer Saeed, 2022. "An Optimal Crime Control Policy in a Dynamic Setting," Journal of Quantitative Economics, Springer;The Indian Econometric Society (TIES), vol. 20(4), pages 827-880, December.
    4. Michelle Sydes & Lorelei Hine & Angela Higginson & James McEwan & Laura Dugan & Lorraine Mazerolle, 2023. "Criminal justice interventions for preventing radicalisation, violent extremism and terrorism: An evidence and gap map," Campbell Systematic Reviews, John Wiley & Sons, vol. 19(4), December.
    5. Lepage, Louis-Pierre, 2023. "Discrimination and sorting in the real estate market: Evidence from terrorist attacks and mosques," European Economic Review, Elsevier, vol. 153(C).

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    More about this item

    JEL classification:

    • C33 - Mathematical and Quantitative Methods - - Multiple or Simultaneous Equation Models; Multiple Variables - - - Models with Panel Data; Spatio-temporal Models
    • J15 - Labor and Demographic Economics - - Demographic Economics - - - Economics of Minorities, Races, Indigenous Peoples, and Immigrants; Non-labor Discrimination
    • K42 - Law and Economics - - Legal Procedure, the Legal System, and Illegal Behavior - - - Illegal Behavior and the Enforcement of Law

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