THE RACIAL DIVIDE | 5

We did not have the ability to analyze the location of stops. It is possible that differential enforcement (high enforcement or low enforcement) in a particular area of Oakwood generated the disparities.

An equally troubling question, which the data did not allow us to analyze, is whether stops resulted in the initiation of an interview, search, or seizure leading to arrest. A traffic stop is not a mere inconvenience but can have powerful, sometimes life altering, collateral consequences for people who are stopped.

Conclusion:

While there were limits on the analysis we could do with the data we had available, we nonetheless think these findings are significant and point to a problem with how traffic stops are conducted in Oakwood. Indeed, we have good reason to think that the problems identified in the 2016 data continue. A current Oakwood resident has observed:

“When I moved to Oakwood about 8 years ago I began noticing that the people getting pulled over by the police all appeared to be African Americans. It became so apparent and disturbing to me, that in the Fall of 2018 I decided to make a serious note of every single time I saw a car pulled over for a traffic violation and to specifically check to see who was driving. And, time and time again – actually pretty much every single time – it has been an African American. I don't fully understand why this is happening but if it is because of the color of their skin that simply does not make me proud of my community.”

Recomendations:

Oakwood should commission an independent study of its current traffic stop data and make those findings public. Action should not wait for that study, however. We strongly believe that the analysis presented here, along with current observations, provides compelling grounds for Oakwood to immediately adopt policies and begin appropriate training to ensure that all people driving in Oakwood are treated fairly and without discrimination.