Public relations.

The Bureau of Justice Statistics presents Contacts Between Police and the Public: Findings from the 2002 National Survey, which offers data on the nature and characteristics of contacts between officers and citizens of the United States over a 12-month period. Findings reflect results from a nationally representative survey of nearly 80,000 residents age 16 or older. Detailed information pertaining to face-to-face encounters with the police includes the reason for and outcome of the contact, resident opinion on officer behavior during the incident, and whether police used or threatened force. The report provides demographic characteristics of residents involved in traffic stops and use-of-force encounters and discusses the survey findings' relevance to the issue of racial profiling. Highlights include the following: about 25 percent of the 45.3 million persons with a face-to-face contact indicated that the reason was to report a crime or other problem; in 2002, about 1.3 million residents age 16 or older--2.9 percent of the 45.3 million persons analyzed--were arrested by police; and the likelihood of being stopped by officers in 2002 did not differ significantly among drivers of different races, although police were more likely to carry out some type of search on an African-American or Hispanic driver than a Caucasian. This report is available online at http://www.ojp.usdoj.gov/bjs/abstract/cpp02.htm.

Bulletin Reports is an edited collection of criminal justice studies, reports, and project findings. Send your material for consideration to FBI Law Enforcement Bulletin, FBI Academy, Madison Building, Room 201, Quantico, VA 22135. (NOTE: The material in this section is intended to be strictly an information source and should not be considered an endorsement by the FBI for any product or service.)