A preliminary investigation of the use of racial/ethnic categories in emergency telephone calls in the United States

Bibliographic Data

ID21422384
AuthorsAngela Cora Garcia (0000-0003-1052-5364, Bentley University, corresponding author)
Year2022
Volume50
Issue4
Pages345-362
Publication date2022-07-04
Peer ReviewedYes
Open AccessNo
TypeARTICLE
VenueJournal of Applied Communication Research (JOURNAL)
Journal identifiersISSN: 0090-9882 • E-ISSN: 1479-5752
PublisherInforma UK Limited (PUBLISHER • GB)
DOI10.1080/00909882.2021.2012224
OpenAlexW4211001098
LanguageEN
Citations received2
References cited57

This paper uses conversation analysis to investigate how participants in emergency telephone calls in the United States use racial/ethnic categories to describe persons of interest such as suspects, victims, or persons needing assistance. It problematizes the use of racial/ethnic categories in these calls by first analyzing an instance of a caller’s racial profiling (in which racial categories are used to justify the call). This instance of racial profiling is then compared with 15 routine emergency service calls to reveal how callers and call takers routinely introduced racial/ethnic categories. I describe how both deviant and routine uses of these categories could lead to racial profiling and/or displace information that might be more effective in creating useful descriptions of persons of interest. The conclusion addresses ideas for further research and practical implications for emergency telephone call takers and those working to transform the way race is tied to policing in the United States

Conversation · Criminology · Ethnic group · Political science · Profiling (computer programming) · Race (biology) · Racial profiling · Racism · Sociology · Computer Science · Gender Studies · Language, Discourse, Communication Strategies · Law · Migration, Health and Trauma · Psychology · Psychology of Social Influence