Police unions have come under fire following recent police killings of Black Americans. For the most part, the unions work to improve pay and job conditions for police. But some critics say these police union contracts cost cities too much and make it hard to hold officers accountable.
Our new study with fellow Georgia State University researchers adds a troubling finding to this debate: As officers’ pay went up in cities with police unions, more Black Americans died from police actions. This phenomenon didn’t happen for white Americans.
