….on traffic stops, says the Winston-Salem Police Department. What did we think they’d say?
An expert explains:
Reports on racial profiling come with several caveats, says Matthew Zingraff, a former professor at N.C. State University. Although such disparities should be questioned, they don’t always mean that discrimination is taking place, he says.
For example, black drivers may be getting stopped more often for minor offenses because of the time of day and location of the traffic stop. Some black neighborhoods that have higher crime rates also have a higher concentration of police officers.
That may be why black drivers have been getting stopped more often for minor offenses.
The police department’s report came to similar conclusions.
