A SERIES OF FIELD STUDIES HAVE INDICATED THAT POLICE HAVE A GREATER TENDENCY TO APPREHEND BLACK JUVENILES THAN WHITES, THAT BLACKS ARE MORE OFTEN REFERRED TO JUVENILE COURT THAN WHITES, AND THAT POLICE OFFICERS PERCEIVE BLACKS AS BEING IN GREATER NEED OF SUPERVISION THAN WHITES. THORNBERRY FOUND THAT POLICE REFER BLACKS TO JUVENILE COURT MORE FREQUENTLY THAN WHITES EVEN WHEN OFFENSE SERIOUSNESS AND PREVIOUS OFFENSES ARE CONTROLLED FOR, ALTHOUGH IT HAS BEEN SUGGESTED THAT THORNBERRY'S CONTROLS FOR SERIOUSNESS (STATUS OFFENSES VERSUS OTHERS) WERE INADEQUATE. IN A STUDY OF SELF-REPORTED JUVENILE DELINQUENCY, DIFFERENCES IN POLICE APPREHENSIONS OF BLACKS AND WHITES FAILED TO REACH SIGNIFICANCE. TENNYSON FOUND THAT WHITE GANG MEMBERS REPORTED MORE ARRESTS WITHOUT PREVIOUS WARNINGS THAN DID BLACK GANG MEMBERS. WILSON'S COMPARISONS OF POLICE DISPOSITIONS IN TWO CITIES FOUND THAT A PROFESSIONAL POLICE FORCE HAD SIMILAR ARREST/CITATION PROPORTIONS FOR BLACKS AND WHITES, WHILE A FRATERNAL POLICE FORCE INEQUITABLY REFERRED BLACKS AND WHITES TO COURT. TWO ADDITIONAL STUDIES FOUND THAT RACE WAS NOT A SIGNIFICANT VARIABLE IN POLICE DISPOSITIONS, AND HOHENSTEIN, IN A SOPHISTICATED STUDY, FOUND THAT RACE PLAYED ONLY A MINIMAL ROLE IN POLICE DISPOSITIONS. A NUMBER OF STUDIES EXAMINING THE EFFECTS OF SOCIOECONOMIC STATUS (SES) ON DISPOSITIONAL DECISIONS FAILED TO FIND DISCRIMINATION BY POLICE. STUDIES OF POLICE ENCOUNTERS WITH CITIZENS IN BOSTON (MASS.), CHICAGO (ILL.), AND THE DISTRICT OF COLUMBIA INDICATED THAT OVER 85 PERCENT WERE INITIATED BY THE CITIZEN; IN NO INSTANCE DID THE POLICE WRITE UP THE SUSPECT WHEN THE COMPLAINANT EXPRESSED A DESIRE FOR INFORMAL ACTION AND CITIZEN-INITIATION WAS PROPORTIONAL FOR BOTH BLACKS AND WHITES. IT IS CONCLUDED THAT NO CLEAR EVIDENCE HAS BEEN OFFERED TO RESOLVE THE ISSUE OF POLICE RACIAL DISCRIMINATION. MIXED FINDINGS ARE FURTHER COMPLICATED BY THE VARIETY SAMPLES, METHODS, AND DATES OF STUDY INVOLVED. FURTHER, NUMEROUS FACTORS HAVE BEEN FOUND TO BE ASSOCIATED WITH POLICE DECISIONMAKING SUCH AS SERIOUSNESS OF OFFENSE, PREVIOUS RECORD, OFFENDER DEMEANOR, AND COMPLAINANT PREFERENCES. ADDITIONALLY, A NUMBER OF POSSIBLE DECISIONMAKING FACTORS DO NOT ADMIT OF EASY ASSESSMENT. RELIANCE ON POLICE RECORDS IN DISCRIMINATION RESEARCH PRESENTS SERIOUS DRAWBACKS AND DOES NOT ALLOW EVALUATION OF A NUMBER OF THESE POTENTIALLY INFLUENTIAL FACTORS. MORE COMPREHENSIVE AND SYSTEMATIC FIELD STUDIES WILL BE NEEDED. (JAP)