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Changes in Enforcement of Low-Level and Felony Offenses Post-Ferguson: An Analysis of Arrests in St. Louis, Missouri
Criminology, Criminal Justice, Law & Society (2019)
  • Lee Ann Slocum, University of Missouri–St. Louis
  • Claire Greene
  • Beth Huebner, University of Missouri-St. Louis
  • Richard Rosenfeld, University of Missouri–St. Louis
Abstract
As a result of several highly publicized incidents of police killing unarmed Black suspects, many contend that American police  are  in  the  midst  of  a  crisis.  Police  have  faced  high  levels  of  public  scrutiny  that  some  argue  has  stifled  police  activities and led to spikes in violent crime. This phenomenon—coined in the aftermath of the police killing of Michael Brown in Ferguson, Missouri—has become widely known as the Ferguson Effect. This study uses seven years of data and time series analysis to assess whether the events in Ferguson were associated with a reduction in arrests for felonies and low-level offenses in the nearby City of St. Louis, Missouri. We find that there was an initial reduction in low-level arrests of Whites and Blacks in the wake of Ferguson. Enforcement of misdemeanors and ordinance violations then increased and returned to expected levels, but only for Blacks. Post-Ferguson, felony arrests initially dropped for Blacks, but not Whites, and then climbed for both groups. This work adds to the burgeoning literature on police responses in the wake of a high-profile shooting. 
Keywords
  • arrest trends,
  • misdemeanors,
  • Ferguson Effect,
  • de-policing,
  • interrupted time series
Publication Date
August 1, 2019
Citation Information
Lee Ann Slocum, Claire Greene, Beth Huebner and Richard Rosenfeld. "Changes in Enforcement of Low-Level and Felony Offenses Post-Ferguson: An Analysis of Arrests in St. Louis, Missouri" Criminology, Criminal Justice, Law & Society Vol. 20 Iss. 2 (2019) p. 25 - 45
Available at: http://works.bepress.com/beth-huebner/62/