Intersectional Race Effects on Citizen-Reported Traffic Ticket Decisions by Police in 1999 and 2008

Do the intersections between officer race and driver race/ethnicity influence the frequency in citizens' reports of receiving a traffic ticket during a routine traffic stop in 1999 and 2008? To fully grasp the importance of traffic ticket outcomes, we must first understand how extralegal factors, particularly the intersections between officer race-driver race/ethnicity and the number of vehicle occupants, impact these outcomes. Thus, the current study utilizes the 1999 and 2008 Police-Public Contact Survey to assess the relationship between extralegal factors and traffic ticket receipt during routine traffic stops. Findings illustrate that according to citizens' reports, extralegal factors, including the intersections between officer race-driver race/ethnicity and the number of vehicle occupants, differentially impact traffic ticket receipt in both the years.