The Justice Department began a number of suits in the 1970s and 1980s resulting in consent decrees that mandated increased hiring of minorities and women in police and fire departments. The author used Census data to compare representation in the departments of cities that were subject to consent decrees with those of cities that were not. Through a difference in difference regression model, the consent decrees were found to have a statistically significant impact on minority representation in police departments, minority representation in fire departments, and female representation in police departments. The presence of a consent decree causes an additional 3.53% increase in minority police, 9.77% increase in minority firefighters, and 6.19% increase in female police according to the controlled model. This analysis suggests that using the judicial system may be an effective policy for federal agencies attempting to alter municipal policies.

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Additional support provided by: Honors Funding

College of Arts & Sciences 2020, Social Science Projects 2020, 2020