What's New
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- Tennessee: Police Claim Legitimate Arrest; Woman Clams Racial Profiling. July 13, 2008.
Juana Villegas, who is nine months pregnant, was arrested for driving without a valid license. Villegas believes she was a victim of racial profiling. During the traffic stop, Villegas was able to produce a valid vehicle registration and consulate photo identification: two documents that should have averted an arrest. Villegas was jailed for about a week. - Missouri: Racial Profiling Data Released For 2007. Lisa Schlichtman. Cassville Democrat , July 03, 2008.
For the eighth year in a row, the Barry County Sheriff's Department and all six area police departments have submitted traffic stop data for the Missouri Attorney General's 2007 Missouri Vehicle Stops annual report. The report collects data from law enforcement agencies throughout the state and summarizes it to track racial profiling trends. The reporting of this data is mandated under a state law that was enacted in August of 2000 to address allegations of racial profiling by law enforcement officials. Click
here for access to the full report - New York: Police Told To Give Street-Stop Data. Christine Hauser. The New York Times, May 31, 2008.
The New York Civil Liberties Union has been granted access to the New York Police Department’s internal database to search for racial bias in stop-and-frisks. The police department argued that releasing access to the database would pose a risk to police officers as their personal information is contained in the database, however the judge ruled that such information could be blacked out. - Colorado: Group Launches Racial Profiling Hotline. The Tribune, May 16, 2008.
In an effort to track instances of people being pulled over by the police on the basis of race, The Colorado Progressive Coalition has started a statewide hotline for racial profiling. Beginning in April 2008, the hotline has received 70 calls statewide so far. Most callers are of Latino and African-American descent. - Ohio: Police, Sheriff Discuss Racial Profiling Practices. Matt Sanctis. Springfield News-Sun, May 09, 2008.
At a panel discussion at the Clark County Public Library, residents were urged to file a report if they believe officers acted unjustly toward them. Neither Springfield Police nor the Clark County Sheriff's Office have had many complaints about racial profiling in the last few years. Clark County Sheriff Gene Kelly and Springfield Police Division Chief Stephen Moody said their departments routinely undergo training to learn to deal with the issue appropriately.
This is a list of past news items about racial profiling and data collection.
- California: 320 Complaints of Racial Profiling and Not One Had Merit, LAPD Says . Joel Rubin. Los Angeles Times, April 30, 2008.
The Los Angeles Police Department dismissed every allegation of racial profiling by officers in 2007. According to department documents, out of the 320 profiling cases that internal affairs opened, nearly 80% were dismissed as unfounded. In the remaining cases, there was either insufficient evidence to reach a conclusion or no misconduct was uncovered. Many, including Commissioner John Mack and Tim Sands, president of the union that represents the department, are skeptical of the report. - Colorado: Activists Launch Racial-Profiling Hotline. Kieran Nicholson . The Denver Post, April 08, 2008.
A new hotline is being launched for Colorado drivers who suspect they've been pulled over by police because of racial profiling. About a dozen community activists gathered in Denver's Five Points neighborhood today to announce the Colorado Racial Profiling and Police Discrimination Hotline. The hotline is a project of the Colorado Progressive Coalition, a 12-year-old nonprofit group. - Arizona: Critics Say Crackdown Amount To Racial-Profiling. Casey Newton. The Arizona Republic, April 05, 2008.
Maricopa County Sheriff Joe Arpaio has been accused by Phoenix Mayor Phil Gordon and other elected officials of racial-profiling, however Arpaio says that he does not ask anyone about immigration status without having probable cause to believe a crime has been committed. One may not see and issue, however the dilemma in question is when does a crime-suppression effort become racial profiling? - Michigan: Report: Lansing Police Don�t Racially Profile. Tiffany Teasley. WILX.com, April 05, 2008.
According to a new report, the percentage of people stopped for traffic violations in Lansing is quite equivalent to the population census from 2000. The report further shows that in terms of officers making decisions on searches, the officers are not being discriminatory in their determinations of who to search and when to make those searches. - Rhode Island: Carcieri's Order Raises Concerns of Racial Profiling. Luis Filipe Dias. O Journal, April 04, 2008.
Immigrants, political leaders and social organizations in Rhode Island feat that an executive order signed by Gov. Donald L. Carcieri may lead to racial profiling and discourage illegal immigrants from reporting crimes. The Executive Order directs Rhode Island State Police and prison and parole officials to more aggressively find and deport illegal immigrants. - Maryland: Racial Profiling Lawsuit Settled In MD. Brian Witte. Associated Press Writer, April 02, 2008.
A 10-year-old lawsuit alleging racial profiling by state police was resolved when state officials approved a $400,000 settlement for six victims. The total settlement will be divided among the six victims as well as cover all legal fees and pay for an independent consultant to advise Maryland State Police on how well policy changes have worked. Lt. William Berry said he hoped the settlement and its stipulations will send a message that racial profiling won�t be tolerated. - Arizona: Racial Profiling By Police Must Be Stopped, Panel Says. Daniel González. The Arizona Republic, March 07, 2008.
A civil-rights panel will recommend that Arizona police agencies take more steps to combat racial profiling after community leaders raised concerns. The recommendations could include better police training, mandatory data collection by police agencies to help detect patterns of racial profiling, and the creation of an independent citizen commission to investigate racial-profiling complaints. - Arizona: Racial Profiling By Police Must Be Stopped, Panel Says. Daniel González. The Arizona Republic, March 07, 2008.
A civil-rights panel will recommend that Arizona police agencies take more steps to combat racial profiling after community leaders raised concerns. The recommendations could include better police training, mandatory data collection by police agencies to help detect patterns of racial profiling, and the creation of an independent citizen commission to investigate racial-profiling complaints. - Missouri: Racial Profiling Report Release. Nick Guillory. KBIA, March 07, 2008.
The Annual Racial Profiling Report of 2007 shows African Americans are more likely to get searched after being pulled over in Columbia. The state mandated the report in 2000 as a nationwide effort to provide transparency in police departments. - Kansas: Senate Considers Racial Profiling Bill. KSN.Com, March 06, 2008.
In Topeka, Kansas a new bill could mean a difference in policing practices. The bill would make it illegal for law enforcement to use race as the sole factor in selecting which individuals are subject to routine investigatory activities. It would also create a task force on racial profiling. The bill would require law enforcement agencies to submit annual reports, and mandate two hours of racial profile training for officers. The Senate committee has yet to vote to advance the bill. - West Virginia: Racial Profiling State Problem?. Bill Byrd. The Times West Virginia, February 24, 2008.
An ongoing study of whether racial profiling by police is a problem in West Virginia shows that black drivers across the state last year were 1 1/2 times more likely to be stopped than whites.Black drivers statewide were also twice as likely as white drivers to have their cars searched in those same traffic stops, the just-released report states.
The figures come from a statistical analysis of reports over a six-month period from nearly all law enforcement agencies in the state. The Statistical Analysis Center of the state Division of Criminal Justice Services is doing the study in response to a 2006 law. The study will continue this year, with a final report expected in 2009. - California: HRC: Police 'Profiling' Data Still Needed. Becky Trout. Palo Alto Online, January 24, 2008.
The Human Relations Commission decided that Palo Alto police officers should continue collecting racial and gender data about individual traffic stops however only one, not two, reports per year should be generated. The change, which the commission suggested for a one-year trial period, should save the department about 200 hours a year. - Louisiana: Time For Change Is Now, Legislators & Civil Rights Leaders Say. Alison Bath. The Shreveport Times, January 21, 2008.
State legislators and civil rights leaders say that addressing issues of racial profiling must take a more active approach. Passing laws and regulations is the first step, however in order for racial profiling to diminish; community members must share a sense of history about one’s interactions with law enforcement. Civil rights leaders and legislators are calling on local law enforcement to apply a series of steps which will focus on diversity training. - Louisiana: Day 1: Racial Profiling? Traffic Citations Database Shows Blacks Cited More Often For Traffic Offenses. Alison Bath. The Shreveport Times, January 20, 2008.
An investigation led by a local newspaper showed that in Shreveport & Bossier City black drivers are cited for traffic violations more than twice as likely as often as whites. Blacks are also disproportionately represented in the numbers of citations for lower-level violations such as window tint or loud music. These violations are used as “gateway” reasons for stopping a driver. The study focused on 228,810 traffic citations issued in both Shreveport & Bossier City from January 2003 to October 2007. - Police Plan To Contest Racial Profiling Ruling. The Star, January 18, 2008.
The Quebec Human Commission has found in favor of four Montreal teens who claimed they were victims of racial profiling by the Montreal police. The commission recommended that the city put measures in place to put an end to racial profiling. The commission also ordered the city to pay $47,000 in damages plus interest to the four teens and their families. Each incident took place during August 2003. - California: L.A. County To Probe Campus Drug Search. Jean-Paul Renaud. Los Angeles Times, January 09, 2008.
Los Angeles police offices detained 32 African American students and 1 Latino student after investigating drug activity at Los Angeles Trade Tech College. The incident has fueled allegations of racial profiling from many civil rights groups. The Los Angeles County Board of Supervisors launched an investigation into how the Sheriff’s Department conducted this particular narcotics-search operation. Marshall "Mark" Drummond, chancellor of the Los Angeles Community College District, believes this is a true representation of racial profiling in action. - Mississippi: Moss Point Residents Claim Racial Profiling. Amber Craig. The Mississippi Press, January 04, 2008.
Representatives from the National Association for the Advancement of Colored People, the American Civil Liberties Union held a town hall meeting in order for residents to discuss concerns about what they claimed was unfair treatment and racial profiling by law enforcement officers in the execution of several drug busts last year in Jackson County. ACLU organizer Brent Cox said it was evident just by looking at the audience that law enforcement has not been conducting raids in white neighborhoods as often as black ones.
