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  • The Center Square

    Data shows a large increase in traffic stops last year by Illinois police

    By By Kevin Bessler | The Center Square,

    2024-07-22

    https://img.particlenews.com/image.php?url=4KlNNw_0uZXAge500

    (The Center Square) – Illinois police departments had a busy year in 2023, with an increase in traffic stops over the year before.

    In Illinois Department of Transportation data compiled by the American Civil Liberties Union of Illinois, there was a 12% increase in traffic stops last year from 2022.

    “Police in Illinois conducted another 200,000 additional stops in 2023 compared with 2022, and to put that in a finer form, it means there are 500 additional stops happening every single day,” said Ed Yohnka, ACLU of Illinois director of Communications.

    Yohnka adds that the data showed Black and Latino drivers were stopped at higher rates than white drivers in almost all areas of the state.

    In Kankakee, police stopped Black drivers at a rate 5.5 times higher than white drivers; Peoria police stopped Black drivers 5.4 times more often than white drivers and Latino motorists were nearly 2 times more likely to be stopped than white drivers; and in Springfield, Black motorists were 5.7 times more likely to be stopped than white drivers.

    New this year, IDOT analyzed data of individual drivers who were stopped multiple times in 2023, finding that Black drivers were about three times more likely to be stopped a total of two to 10 times, and 9 times more likely to be stopped more than 10 times compared to white drivers who were stopped.

    “With 20 years of data reflecting ongoing racial and ethnic disparities in traffic stops, localities in Illinois can no longer ignore this problem. Police departments’ refusal to remedy these unjustified disparities amounts to intentional discrimination,” said Alexandra Block, director of the Criminal Legal System and Policing Project at the ACLU of Illinois. “This reality should cause public officials at the state and local level to convene a public discussion about how to fix the persistent biases in traffic stops.”

    The ACLU reports the numbers are based on data that every law enforcement agency in the state is supposed to report annually, although about 20% of police agencies failed to submit the required data for 2023.

    Related Search

    Racial disparitiesLaw enforcementThe center squareEd YohnkaAlexandra blockIllinois

    Comments / 10

    Add a Comment
    Lichma Balzach
    07-24
    As usual the numbers don't tell the whole story. The simple fact that minority drivers were stopped at a higher rate does not speak on justification for the stop. It also does not take into account if the more active LEOs happened to work in an area where minorities predominantly live. Moreover, the stat concerning the fact minorities were more likely to be stopped multiple times does not address whether compliance was gained after the first stop, whether the people stopped are known criminals (propensity usually isn't allowed in the court room but it is a valid tool for law enforcement on the street), or many other factors that would lead to lawful stops. Also also, nobody likes to talk about about it, but maybe just maybe those that are complaining about these statistics are in actuality committing more traffic violations? Nobody wants to address that though.
    Southsider
    07-23
    First of all, if a shine is driving around an all white area. Why is he there,, if a white person is driving around in englewood or on the West side, What is he doing there? They shouldn't be there both races. The police should pull them over and ask him. What the hell you're doing there
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