overpolice

[ oh-ver-puh-lees ]

verb (used with object)

1. to police excessively, as by maintaining a large police presence or by responding aggressively to minor offenses:

   The panelists agreed that poor communities are overpoliced, and their residents are more likely to be Black and Latino.

Other Words From

• o·ver·po·lic·ing noun

Word History and Origins

Origin of overpolice¹

First recorded in 1900–05; over- ( def ) + police ( def )

Example Sentences

And as the author of a book on policing in marginalized communities, I also know that when officers "overpolice," especially communities of color, it can undermine trust and increase tensions.

From Salon

The Constitution does not give officers the power to “overpolice” minorities based on suspicious behavior, the appeals court said in ruling against the evidence used to pull Warfield over.

From Seattle Times

The policies that result overpolice the people they seek to help, because they treat the victims of hardship as perpetually in need of protection, from others but also from themselves.

From Slate

Derrell Roberts, a local activist who runs a youth mentoring program in south Sacramento, said many in his neighborhood believe that authorities "overpolice our neighborhood, thus causing confrontations that lead to the death of a young black man in this case, or in the case of Joseph Mann," an African American homeless man whom Sacramento police fatally shot in 2016.

From Los Angeles Times

He added that the authorities did not plan to “overpolice,” but that they had the proper equipment and personnel needed should emergencies arise.

From New York Times