When: September 30, 2026
Where: Seigle Hall 207
Join us for a lecture by CRE2 Postdoctoral Fellow, Brandon Romero.
What is the effect of police on the political lives of Americans? Extant studies suggest that scaling back police presence may increase political participation among Black Americans by reducing police surveillance and harassment. I theorize that police indirectly affect voter turnout through their effects on crime, and I argue that Black Americans are uniquely positioned to benefit from reductions in crime. Using quasi-experimental variation in the number of police induced by the disbursement of a federal hiring grant to municipal police agencies, I find evidence that hiring an additional police officer per 10,000 residents increases Black turnout. This increase can be attributed to policing reduction violent victimization. This project speaks to the importance of incorporating criminal violence into policy feedback theories of criminal-justice institutions.