Driving While Non-White: Exploring Traffic Stops and Post-Stop Activities in North Carolina, 2005-2009

• Published in: Sociation today 2011-11, Vol.9 (2)
• Main Authors: Lippard, Cameron D, Page, Amy Dellinger
• Format: Article
• Language: English
• Subjects: Arrests; discrimination; driving while black; Ethnic Groups; Ethnicity; Hispanic Americans; minorities; Minority Groups; North Carolina; Police; police discrimination; Racial Differences; Traffic
• ISSN: 1542-6300; 1542-6300

Research has established that Blacks face disproportionate amounts of traffic stops, searches, and arrests by police compared to Whites. However, few studies have ventured past the Black-White dichotomy and considered how Hispanics or other minorities may face the same disparities, especially in places where the Hispanic population has dramatically increased in recent years. Using traffic stop and post-stop data compiled by the North Carolina Department of Justice from 2005 to 2009, this study explored whether Hispanics, Blacks, as well as other racial minorities experienced a higher likelihood of traffic stops, citations, searches, and arrests compared to Whites within sample of city, county, and state law enforcement agencies. We found that generally all racial and ethnic minority groups face higher rates of traffic stops than Whites by almost every law enforcement agency sampled. We also found that rates of post-stop activities including searches, citations, and arrests are higher for all racial and ethnic minority groups examined compared to Whites, especially for Hispanics. Hispanic and non-White disparities in traffic stops also cannot be explained away when controlling for population size, type of law enforcement agency, or the reason stated for the traffic stop (e.g., DWI, speeding, or investigation). More important, however, is that the rate of searches for racial and ethnic minorities did not necessarily match the rates of citations and arrests minorities receive, suggesting that some stops could be racially or ethnically motivated. Adapted from the source document.