Racial profiling by MO cops down by 2%

[proud2BlibKansan]

Racial disparity in traffic stops persists


JEFFERSON CITY — Although the disparity narrowed slightly from previous years, black motorists were 38 percent more likely than white drivers to be stopped by Missouri law enforcement officers last year.

The annual racial profiling report released Tuesday by Attorney General Jay Nixon also showed that black drivers who got stopped were 71 percent more likely to be searched than white drivers who were stopped.

Nixon cautioned that the disparity shown by the figures does not prove that police are making stops based solely on race.

“That being said, I urge Missouri law enforcement to continue their constructive efforts to eliminate any perceptions that traffic stops are being made solely on the basis of race, rather than for legitimate reasons,” Nixon said in a statement.

http://www.kansascity.com/mld/kansascity/11784326.htm