The Rhode Island Department of Transportation (RIDOT) today announced the release of its final report on race data in traffic stops across the state. The report, which analyzes eight additional months of data following the preliminary report issued earlier this year, was compiled by the Institute on Race & Justice (IRJ) at Northeastern University. It presents findings of the Highway Safety Traffic Stop Data Collection, Analysis & Reporting Study, commissioned in 2010.
The study, which involved the collection and analysis of traffic stop data from 39 police agencies, found that no community had consistently high racial and ethnic disparities across all four areas of analysis. However, each area of analysis identifies some communities that merit further examination due to large disparities found in the traffic stops conducted in those communities. The study examined the following four areas: 1) comparison of all traffic stops by municipalities, 2) comparison of stops of residents versus residential population, 3) racial and ethnic differences in post-stop activity – citation versus warning, and 4) racial and ethnic differences in searches conducted.
In 24 Rhode Island communities, minorities were more likely to be pulled over than whites for a traffic stop given census population data from 2010; however, the most common category of drivers stopped in Rhode Island are white males under 31 years of age who are not residents of the community in which the stop occurs. The majority of traffic stops are made for a violation of traffic laws (96 percent) – most often, speeding.
The study, which evaluated 300,144 traffic stops between January 1, 2013 and May 31, 2014, found that progress has been made since earlier studies to reduce racial and ethnic disparities in post-stop searches for some communities. As in many U.S. states, however, searches are a relatively rare occurrence during routine traffic stops in Rhode Island. As a result, only a small number of records were available for analysis.
The report does not draw conclusions about the existence of racial profiling in Rhode Island; rather it identifies potential areas for further examination. Key recommendations in the report include:
• Each police department should carefully review the data to identify areas of concern and, where appropriate, compare its results to that of a comparable community in the state.
• Police department leadership should share this data with their officers to increase understanding about what the data is indicating about local enforcement activity – as well as share it with the community.
• The systematic data collection of traffic stops should continue across departments to monitor trends and disparities over time.
More than a decade ago, Rhode Island led the nation by requiring the collection of traffic stop data that would be used to address community concerns around racial profiling and improve relations between residents and law enforcement. Reports were published in 2003 and 2006, respectively. As a result of this earlier work, Rhode Island qualified to receive a $1.18 million grant from the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA) to conduct this most recent study. This grant also funded the infrastructure to support the electronic collection and transmission of data from each agency – as well as conducting the analysis and interpretation of the findings.
As part of the 2013 study, an advisory committee consisting of community members, law enforcement, and other stakeholders was convened to provide guidance throughout the project. RIDOT also contracted with IRJ and Ledge Light Technologies to assist with the data collection, transmission, and analysis of the traffic stop data.
In November 2013, the advisory committee hosted three public forums to solicit input from the community on preliminary findings of the study. A key recommendation put forth was to extend the timeframe of data collection. While the 2013 report – which included findings based on traffic stop data collected between January 2013 and September 2013 – established a baseline of activity, the committee agreed that further data collection and evaluation were needed given the study's limited collection period; it voted to extend the collection period through May 2014. Law enforcement agencies voluntarily participated throughout the life of this project. This updated report includes findings over the full 17-month collection period.
A copy of the full report is available on the RIDOT website at www.dot.ri.gov/safetyreports.
Contact: Rose Amoros (O):401-222-1362 x4450; (C):401-261-2159; Rose.Amoros@dot.ri.gov