KSAT on Dharmapala, McAdams, and Rappaport's "Collective Bargaining and Police Misconduct"

Officers more likely to commit violence once given the right to unionize, research shows

Dillon Collier Josh Saunders Mariah Medina
August 19, 2019 KSAT

A study from a group of professors at the University of Chicago Law School found a 40% increase in violent incidents among law enforcement agencies after those departments were given the right to unionize.

The working paper, titled "Collective Bargaining and Police Misconduct: Evidence from Florida," examined nearly 20 years of 'moral character' violations reported by law enforcement agencies there.

It was co-authored by professors Dhammika Dharmapala and Richard H. McAdams and assistant professor John Rappaport.

CLICK HERE TO READ THE WORKING PAPER.

The Sunshine State's access-friendly open records laws, along with a 2003 Florida Supreme Court decision that gave sheriff's deputies in the state collective bargaining rights, created an opportunity for the team of professors to examine deputy behavior before and after the decision was in place.