Discussing driving while black

Here’s a nice 16-minute public radio segment from North Carolina featuring the Chapel Hill police chief and the author of a new book that analyzes 20 million traffic stops since 2002. Similar to many other studies, the analysis revealed a strong pattern of disproportionate stops and searches with no apparent positive results in citations, arrests, or contraband seizures. The book’s author recommends refocusing police attention on traffic safety rather than stopping vehicles as a crime fighting tactic. Some departments have already reduced their emphasis on enforcing minor vehicle equipment violations and tightened their rules on consent searches.

Tags: North Carolina