Oakland Study: Black drivers targeted

• Task force data shows 69 percent of drivers pulled over were African Americans

A six-month study of racial profiling during traffic stops last year shows blacks are more likely to be pulled over by police than other races. The study released Tuesday by the Oakland Racial Profiling Task Force found key disparities when black drivers are stopped by Oakland officers. For example, stops of black drivers lasted more than 10 minutes compared with non-black drivers in similar situations. Oakland Police Chief Richard Word praised the work of Capt. Ron Davis and the diverse group he chaired.  The study showed that when officers were able to identify race before stopping the vehicle, 69 percent of the drivers stopped were black, compared to 49 percent when the driver's identity wasn't known. Black drivers were stopped three times more than Hispanic drivers and four times more than white drivers, said the report, "Promoting Cooperative Strategies to Reduce Racial Profiling." The study looked at more than 7,600 traffic stops in Oakland from June through December 2003. It was previewed June 7 at a congressional luncheon in Washington, D.C. as a potential model for studying racial profiling across the country. [more ]

• When black motorists are stopped, three times out of four, they will be detained longer than other motorists and are almost certain to be asked to submit to a body search. "Their report just confirms what many people have believed for years,'' said John Burris, a prominent Oakland defense attorney. "The objective of the stop is to search the car, and you need a pretext for the search.'' And for the officers that engage in the practice, low-income areas are a gold mine: There are many cars with visible problems and a disproportionate number of motorists with expired tags or other violations to choose from. [more ]