Burlington Police Department Racial Disparities in Traffic Policing

Stephanie Seguino University of Vermont

and Nancy Brooks

Cornell University

Focus of analysis

• The analysis concentrates on traffic stops and outcomes that are the result of officer discretion.

• We therefore ignore externally generated stops & arrests on a warrant.

Four indicators

1. Stop rates by race compared to racial shares of the population

2. Share of outcomes that lead to: • Ticket (versus a warning) • Arrest • Search

3. Searches that yield contraband 4. Officer disparities in stop rates

The data

• Results for 2012 - 2015 – Averages for 2012-2015. – Annual trends from 2012 to 15 – Focus on white and black outcomes.

2012-15

Whites Blacks Hispanics Asians Share of Traffic

Stops 87.2% 7.9% 0.7% 4.1%

Share of

Population 88.2% 4.5% 5.4%

Ticket rate 28.2% 35.9% 27.9% 25.9%

Warning rate 69.4% 61.6% 70.3% 72.0%

Arrest rates 1.2% 1.4% 0.8% 1.1%

Search Rate 1.1% 3.3% 5.0% 0.1%

“Hit” Rate 63.5% 46.2% 28.6% 0.0%

Blacks as share of stops and population, 2012-15

7.5% 7.3% 7.4%

9.5%

4.5% 4.5% 4.5% 4.5%

0%1%2%3%4%5%6%7%8%9%

10%

2012 2013 2014 2015

Blacks as share of stops Blacks as share of population

Investigatory Stops by Race

88.2%

4.5% 5.4%

79.0%

18.8%

1.7% 0%

10%20%30%40%50%60%70%80%90%

100%

White Black Asian

Share of population Share of investigatory stops

Black and white ticket rates

26.4% 28.3% 28.2%

30.4%

38.1%

33.4%

29.8%

41.4%

20%

25%

30%

35%

40%

45%

2012 2013 2014 2015

Whites Blacks

Black and white arrest rates

1.6%

1.1% 0.8%

1.2% 1.2%

2.0%

0.9%

2.4%

0.0%

0.5%

1.0%

1.5%

2.0%

2.5%

3.0%

2012 2013 2014 2015

White Black

Black, Asian, and white search rates

0.9% 1.6%

0.7% 1.2%

2.5%

6.3%

2.5% 2.4%

0.0%

1.0%

2.0%

3.0%

4.0%

5.0%

6.0%

7.0%

2012 2013 2014 2015

White Black Asian

Black and white “hit” rates: All outcomes

61.9% 65.1%

74.3%

55.1% 60.0%

42.9%

50.0%

36.4%

20%

30%

40%

50%

60%

70%

80%

2012 2013 2014 2015White Blacks

“Hit” rates that result in arrest or ticket (excludes warnings)

31.0%

47.6%

37.1%

44.7% 40.0%

33.3%

20.0%

27.3%

10%

15%

20%

25%

30%

35%

40%

45%

50%

2012 2013 2014 2015

Whites Blacks

Data Quality: Missing data (includes “unknowns”)

1.7%

4.8%

2.1%

3.3%

1.2%

1.9% 1.8%

0%1%1%2%2%3%3%4%4%5%5%

MissingAge

MissingRace

MissingSex

MissingReason

MissingResult

MissingSearch

MissingSearch

Outcome

N=1,135

Blacks as % of stops by officer, ranked high to low, 80 stops+

0%

2%

4%

6%

8%

10%

12%

14%

16%

18%

1 3 5 7 9 11 13 15 17 19 21 23 25 27 29 31 33 35 37 39 41 43 45 47 49 51 53 55 57 59 61 63 65 67 69 71 73 75 77

% of stops with perceived black driver

Black share of population = 4.5%

Black Males as % of Stops by Officer, 80+

0%

5%

10%

15%

20%

25%

1 3 5 7 9 11 13 15 17 19 21 23 25 27 29 31 33 35 37 39 41 43 45 47 49 51 53 55

% Black Males

How Does Burlington Compare? Black search rates/White search rates, 2012-15

1.5 1.6 2.0 2.1 2.2 2.4 2.6 2.7 2.7 2.8 2.9 3.0

4.6 5.0 5.2

0.0

1.0

2.0

3.0

4.0

5.0

6.0

Raw Data for 2012-15

All Years White Black Asian Hispanic Tickets 5,571 671 238 47 Warnings 13,709 1,151 662 111 Arrests 235 26 10 0 Searches 189 52 1 7 Hits (searches w/contraband) & ticket or arrest 77 16 0 0 Hits (searches w/contraband) & warning, ticket, or arrest 120 24 0 2 Hit despite No Search recorded 42 1 4 0