Ronnie Dunn

Associate Professor of Urban Studies, Cleveland State University

Areas of Expertise

  • Racial profiling
  • Urban sociology
  • Urban studies
  • Health disparities
  • Biased policing
  • Race and crime
  • Police accountability and oversight
  • DEI

Key Findings

  • In four of the five counties, there was a significant racial influence in traffic ticket patterns. MORE
  • In counties with a higher population of Black or minority individuals, the racial disparities were also found to be higher. MORE
  • Blacks in Cleveland received 53% more traffic tickets than their expected proportional share and were 2.5 more likely to be ticketed by the police. MORE
  • A majority of citizens that filed complaints about the police department did not consider the investigative process and the Police Board’s examination to be fair and comprehensive. MORE
  • Nearly half (44%) of respondents said they would use the citizen complaint system in the future despite reporting negative experiences during the complaint process and not believing the process to be fair or comprehensive. MORE
  • Race was the only factor that impacted a respondent’s willingness to file a future complaint. MORE
  • Black drivers disproportionately received more traffic tickets than their counterparts that were White or from another minority group. MORE
  • Black drivers, accounting for approximately 31% of motorists, received 58% of traffic tickets. MORE
  • White drivers, accounting for almost 50% of motorists, received 36% of traffic tickets. MORE

Biography

Ronnie Dunn, Associate Professor of Urban Studies at Cleveland State University, is an expert in urban and social policy, racial profiling, racial inequality, issues affecting children and families living in urban areas, minority populations and the urban poor. 

Dunn was appointed by the governor to the Ohio Collaborative Community-Police Advisory Board and he serves as the chairman of the Board of Commissioners of the Cuyahoga Metropolitan Housing Authority. He is a member of the NAACP Legal Redress Committee, the Urban Affairs Association, American Sociological Association and Association of Black Sociologists. He has been featured in Who’s Who in Black Cleveland. 

He has been published in various scholarly journals including the Journal of Urban Affairs, Journal of Health and Communication and Public Performance & Management Review.

Dunn received his Ph.D. in Urban Studies from Cleveland State University.