Race and Avoiding the Police: The Importance of Fear and Contact Type

What can be made of people avoiding contact with the police? Using a national sample (N = 1,081), this study explores the racial divide in officer avoidance, the role of contact type, and the impact of police-related fear. We expect that officer avoidance will be highest among Black Americans, especially for involuntary contacts, because of elevated fear of police mistreatment. The findings are consistent with this theoretical expectation. Black Americans report more officer avoidance than their White counterparts. Fear of the police increases avoidance, both for voluntary and involuntary police contacts, although the effect is largest for involuntary contacts. These findings support growing evidence that avoidance of law enforcement contact stems from fear of police mistreatment, which derives from prior personal and vicarious mistreatment.