Since the implementation of Ghana Police’s (GP) Stop, Question and Search (SQS) policy in 2006, the GP has been criticized because a large percentage of those stopped, questioned, and searched by police officers have been the youth. Opponents of the GP’s SQS initiative assert that police officers that stop, question, and search resident youth are age-biased. However, the SQS data compiled by the GP contains solely the characteristics of individuals stopped, questioned, and searched and the reason for why they were stopped, questioned, or searched. Consequently, there is a lack of information regarding the police officers who are stopping, questioning and searching resident youth. As a researcher specializing in policy, oversight, and administration who has been contracted to assess whether police characteristics influence SQS, how would you go about collecting the information that you need to assess whether police characteristics influence whom they stop, question, and/or search? In designing your study, address the following questions in an essay format containing an introduction, body, and conclusion:

1. What is the research question driving the study? What is the significance of the research question in relation to the policy implications of the GP’s SQS initiative?

2. What are the police characteristics (i.e., independent variables) which are likely to influence whether a youth resident in Accra is stopped, questioned, or searched?

3. Are your independent variables qualitative or quantitative in nature?

4. How would you diagram the relationship among the police characteristics which you have identified and the police stops that are made?

5. Based on the police characteristics which you have identified, is a qualitative or quantitative analytical method appropriate to assess the relationship among the police characteristics which you identified and the stops?

6. How would your anticipated or hypothesized results help you to modify or eliminate the GP’s SQS initiative?