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Thursday, November 17, 2016

Black motorists in Md. are pulled over, searched at higher rates

Black motorists in Maryland are stopped and searched by police at higher rates than their white counterparts, despite being less likely in many jurisdictions to be found with illicit drugs or other contraband, according to statewide traffic stop data.

In Baltimore County, black drivers were targeted in 50 percent of reported traffic stops by county police and 53 percent of vehicle searches between 2013 and this year, according to data from the Maryland Statistical Analysis Center, despite black people making up just 27 percent of the county's population.

In Anne Arundel County, black motorists accounted for 29 percent of stops and 35 percent of searches. Black people make up just 16 percent of the population in Arundel.

In Howard County, black drivers were targeted in 37 percent of stops and 43 percent of searches, despite black people making up just 18 percent of the population. After being pulled over in Howard for seat belt violations — one of the most common offenses tracked — black motorists were 87 percent more likely than white motorists to be searched.

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10 comments:

Anonymous said...

Where is old man Lewis? Profile extraordinar.

Anonymous said...

There's a HUGE number missing in this dataset. How many drivers are just out "cruising" during the non-rush hours? What percentage of active "cruisers" are B/W? Aside from rush hour, most employed people are either at work or at home eating and sleeping.

Let' stand in the median and collect the driver ratio in the off hours before applying any racial charges against the police; we've seen enough of that! Population ratio could be vastly different than "cruiser" ratios.

Anonymous said...

maybe they all had tag lights out.

Anonymous said...

I saw how bad this was when I was driving around the east coast with work. I am a young white man. I have never been asked to step out of the car. Nearly EVERY time I saw a young black guy pulled over they were sitting on the curb and the car was being searched. If my car was searched with this frequency I would probably be in jail too. That is why it makes me so upset when I come on this site and hear people talk about black crime rates. Just because crime rates are higher does not mean that blacks are any more criminal. If this country was doing to me what they are doing to Blacks I would do a lot more than burn down a Rite Aid. I hope Donald Trump addresses this problem.

Anonymous said...

Yes the article doesn't make clear if those pulled over are also residents of the counties or if they're on their way to other locales.

Anonymous said...

Stats can be made to show anything and everything.

Worn out topic. Boooooooooooooo!

Anonymous said...

Wait,this is happening in liberal,progressive,tolerant,inclusive,blue state of Maryland? I have to go puke.

lmclain said...

True story.
A friend of mine (a black man, full time job, married, with a family) is driving through Salisbury when 2 state cops, driving the latest unmarked SUV, pull him over for .....wait for it.....doing 26 in a 25.
Wait. It gets better.
Then, they ask them both to exit the vehicle, which they do.
The police, desperate to find SOMETHING, separate them and question them about what they are doing, where they are going, and where have they been, and how do they know each other. No drugs, weapons, or alcohol found, either.
His wife is white.
They were SURE she was a prostitute.
Now, how many of you white cheerleaders who think the police can do no wrong have been pulled over for 1 mile an hour over the limit and then get SEARCHED and get your wife treated like she's a whore?
IN MY ENTIRE LIFE, I've NEVER been pulled over and searched or made to "exit the vehicle" and get handcuffed (for my "safety??????????!!) while they LOOK for some kind of crime. But I'm white.
The complaints of black people being pulled over and treated like s*** are REAL and valid.
Now, some black people are fighting back and you are upset??
We are not the servants of the police. It's the other way around and somewhere along the line they forgot that part.
Probably thought that insurgent suppresson training they got in Iraq would work pretty good in the USA.

NOT.

Keep cheering.

Anonymous said...

Good. 6:21 nailed it.

Anonymous said...

Lol...Fruitland always pulls you over for that BS..and your light isn't out usually..