The heat: temperature, police behavior and the enforcement of law

Despite ample investigation into the influence of ambient temperature on behavior, and especially on criminal activity, little research exists on the impact of temperature on police behavior. As such, this analysis tests the “heat hypothesis” over 5 years of traffic stops by the City of Pittsburgh Police Department. Across a range of specifications, police officers are more likely to issue traffic citations when temperatures are warmer—holding constant driving behavior—and the magnitude of the increase is comparable to citation rate discrepancies between black and white drivers.