Aug 30, 2024 Story by: Editor
VIRGINIA, USA — A recent state report reveals that Black and Hispanic drivers in Virginia were pulled over at disproportionately higher rates compared to other drivers in 2023.
The Virginia Department of Criminal Justice Services (DCJS) released its preliminary report in July, marking the fourth such report under the Commonwealth’s Community Policing Act.
This report analyzed over 949,000 traffic stops conducted across the state between January 1 and December 31, 2023, highlighting disparities in stop rates based on race and ethnicity. The data shows that nearly 30% of drivers pulled over were Black, even though they make up just about 19% of Virginia’s driving-age population. These figures are consistent with findings from the previous year.
Similarly, Hispanic drivers, who represent only 9.2% of the state’s driving-age population, accounted for 10.2% of traffic stops. The report also notes that Black and Hispanic drivers faced higher rates of searches and arrests compared to white drivers.
These percentages reflect the number of drivers stopped relative to their representation in the state’s driving-age population.
“What we’ve seen since 2020 with this community policing act data is that the racial disparities among traffic stops unfortunately have not changed much,” said Rob Poggenklass, executive director of Justice Forward Virginia. “But the disparities among searches have declined.”
Justice Forward Virginia, a non-partisan group advocating for criminal justice reform, was instrumental in pushing for the Community Policing Act in 2020 to address racial disparities in traffic stops and searches.
Poggenklass emphasized the importance of the Community Policing Act for Virginia, suggesting further research is necessary to understand the reasons behind traffic stops. The act also introduced restrictions on police officers’ ability to stop drivers for minor infractions, such as equipment violations, and limit certain searches.
John W. Jones, Executive Director of the Virginia Sheriffs’ Association, acknowledged the need for continuous improvement but expressed skepticism that the DCJS report alone proves bias in law enforcement.
“If you look at the back of a car, the side of a car, you can’t tell who it is,” Jones remarked. “So, I don’t think you can draw any conclusions. Maybe a study or a deeper dive, but not from this DCJS data. It’s just data.”
Jones also mentioned that the use of body-worn and dash cameras enhances accountability.
Retired Petersburg Police Chief Kenny Miller, however, viewed the findings as a sign of a deeper problem. “Is this a problem? Yes,” he stated. “If people of color are being stopped disproportionately, then that’s a problem.”
Miller, who has served over 40 years in law enforcement, including a tenure with the Virginia Beach Police Department, underscored the need to address the issue.
The DCJS report acknowledges the disparities but does not provide specific reasons for them.
“Most importantly for this study, this analysis does NOT allow us to determine the extent to which these disparities may or may not be due to bias-based profiling or to other factors that can vary depending on race or ethnicity,” the report explains. “Many data elements play influential roles in racial and ethnic patterns of traffic enforcement but are unavailable to DCJS.” Source: 13 News Now
