PA. STATE POLICE Study determines racial disparity in arrest, search rates

Rather than use Census data, the study counted drivers by race.
HARRISBURG (AP) -- A study funded by state police found no pattern of racial bias in the decisions by police about which motorists to pull over, but noted that once they are stopped, whites are far less likely to be searched or arrested than blacks and Hispanics.
The study compared 327,000 vehicle stops from May 2002 through April 2003 to baseline data developed by the study team's own roadside counts of motorists and radar speed measurements.
"The percentage of minority drivers stopped during the day [is] virtually identical to the percentage of stops at night, when it would be much more difficult for troopers to assess drivers' race and/or ethnicity," the study concluded. It also said higher speeds by blacks and Hispanics affected how often they are pulled over.
But the study recommended that state police "further examine the factors" that make black and Hispanic drivers far more likely than whites to be searched and arrested. Whites who were searched were comparatively more likely to be found with contraband -- generally drugs and alcohol.
NAACP official's comments
"It confirms the suspicions of black people ... about policing," said Tim Stevens, president of the Pittsburgh branch of the National Association for the Advancement of Colored People.
"The good part is it appears the number of stops is clearly close in proximity and may be not related to race. But once stopped and arrested, the racial thing seems to kick in again."
The study's principal investigator, University of Cincinnati criminal justice professor Robin Shepard Engel, said Monday that the study counted drivers by race instead of using of Census data because interstate highways are used by a diverse group of drivers, even in rural, mostly white areas.
"When you control for who's driving on the roadways, a lot of those disparities [from state police stops] diminish greatly," she said.
The Project on Police-Citizen Contacts, which also involves Penn State University researchers, is in its third year of data collection and has cost the state nearly $400,000 so far.
Its findings, released two weeks ago, reflect only the first year's results. Future reports will explore how many car-search requests are refused, and how many of the arrests are due to pending warrants.
"The percentages [for minorities], although higher, could be totally legitimate, and I feel they are," said Bruce Edwards, president of the Pennsylvania State Troopers Association. "We're not picking on minorities, even on these searches."
Responding
State police spokesman Jack Lewis said the department responded to a recommendation in the report by convening focus groups to examine why troopers in different parts of the state have recorded varying rates of minority-motorist searches.
"Based on that, we can determine whether there's any discrimination taking place and work that into future training," he said.
The state police also has added 232 cameras to its 1,100 marked patrol vehicles and hopes eventually to have them in all cruisers. The report said more cameras will better allow supervisors to monitor troopers' methods.
The study found that black and Hispanic troopers had higher rates of ticketing blacks and Hispanic drivers than did their white counterparts, but Engel said the difference was probably more because of minority officers being posted in urban areas. Of the department's 4,198 enlisted personnel, 299 are black and 84 are Hispanic, Lewis said.
XOn the Net: Racial profiling study: http://www.psp.state.pa.us