The Bureaucratic Dissociation of Race in Policing: From State Racial Projects to Colorblind Ideologies.

This article examines how bureaucratic structures within a police department in a segregated Rust Belt city mediate the relationship between state racial projects and individual officers' racial ideologies. It introduces the concept of "bureaucratic dissociation," whereby organizational arrangements facilitate racialized policing—such as resource allocation aligned with segregation boundaries—while simultaneously enabling officers to perceive their work as race-neutral through adherence to geographic districts, functional roles, and legal rules. Drawing on over 500 hours of ethnographic observation, the study finds that officers commonly deny racism by framing their actions within bureaucratic mandates and colorblind narratives, despite the department's role in reinforcing racial inequalities. The findings suggest that addressing racialized policing requires attention not only to individual attitudes but also to the bureaucratic organization and power structures that shape policing practices and interpretations.