KANSAS CITY, Mo. — Black drivers in Missouri are much more likely than white drivers to be pulled over by police, according to a report released by the Attorney General’s office.
The report says black drivers are stopped by police at a rate 63 percent greater than expected. That’s based on the number of black drivers, compared to the number of white drivers.
Police agencies say it’s difficult to compare stop data to the makeup of the population because of shifting populations and a highway system that can bring travelers and commuters from areas not counted in a city’s demographics.
The report also says blacks are more than one and a half times more likely to be searched by police than whites.
In Kansas City, which just appointed its first black police chief in October, the numbers are below the state average and haven’t fluctuated much since the state began collecting traffic stop data in the year 2000.
“We’re under new leadership, and a lot of these police officers are doing a good job out here,” said Pat Clarke, with the People’s Action Committee or PAC. “But as far as the profile, it’s still there. It’s still there. Honestly. I don’t think it will ever leave. That’s just something we’ll always have to deal with.”
However, in Lee’s Summit, there has been a dramatic drop in the number of black drivers stopped, based on their proportion of the population.
Lee’s Summit Police Sgt. Chris DePue says the department takes a very proactive role in monitoring officers’ conduct.
“We monitor their stop data and we also send them through yearly recurrency training on avoiding biased-based policing,” DePue said. “We think education is part of that key. By doing those two components we’ve seen a dramatic decline as the city continues to evolve.”
Independence, Mo., also saw a drop in the index that measures the likelihood of blacks being stopped by police from 2010 to 2011.
