BENNINGTON — Select Board members expressed cautious optimism this week after receiving a traffic stop report from the police department that includes information on stops of Black, Hispanic and Asian drivers.
The report covers each month during 2020 and provides the total number of traffic stops, how many minority drivers were stopped and whether they were searched.
“This traffic stop information is very welcome,” board Vice Chairwoman Jeannie Jenkins said in an email. “I am pleased that the Bennington Police Department has been proactive in sharing the information, and think it is important for public accountability. We are looking forward to seeing the information for drivers identifying as Caucasian or white added, so that we will all have a more complete picture of where stops are occurring, and the number of searches conducted.”
Since September 2020, BPD policies and procedures are undergoing systematic reviews and being updated by task force groups including a majority of citizens and coordinated by Jenkins and board members Bruce Lee-Clark and Jeanne Conner.
Following public meetings on each revised policy, the board will vote on whether to adopt them, and the information will be posted on a town community policing information page and on the BPD website.
The process was one of the recommendations in a report by consultants from the International Association of Chiefs of Police, after the organization was hired by the board in 2019 to conduct a four-month review of the Bennington department.
IACP REVIEW
A consultant study was suggested earlier in 2019 after criticism of the BPD when no arrests were made relative to racially motivated online harassment of former state Rep. Kiah Morris of Bennington, who is African American, and who ended her re-election bid and left office in 2018.
The BPD also has been criticized by American Civil Liberties Union of Vermont and Vermont NAACP officials concerning a lawsuit in U.S. District Court that alleged civil rights violations related to a traffic stop on Main Street.
Although heroin was found in the 2013 stop in the possession of Shamel Alexander, who is African American, and he was convicted, the Vermont Supreme Court later ruled the stop was improperly extended in violation of Alexander’s constitutional rights.
The evidence was ruled inadmissible by the court and his drug trafficking conviction was overturned. Alexander filed suit in 2016, and the town in June 2020 paid him $30,000 as part of a settlement agreement that ended the suit.
MORE DETAIL SOUGHT
“The data presented in this report is not complete and not accessible,” said Mia Schultz, of Bennington, president of the Rutland Area Branch of the NAACP, in an email. “In order to properly comment, I need to know how this was recorded, no action, warning, ticket, etc. I will request the actual data excel file from the police.”
In an email sent Wednesday, Lee-Clark said, “I am seeking some additional information mentioned during the meeting prior to making judgments.”
One of those data areas, he said during the meeting, involves knowing how many searches were done as a result of stops, including those of Caucasian drivers.
“I should start letting others answer,” said outgoing board Chairman Donald Campbell, “but at least one suggestion was made at Monday’s meeting that would lead to more detailed reporting. Without the benefit of meaningful statistical analysis, and with just the first round of data before us, I would be reluctant to conclude trends yet.”
He added, “Although it is just a beginning, what it does show is that the town manager [Stuart Hurd] is taking seriously the board’s desire to closely track policing trends, and the BPD is both tracking and reporting as required. Time, additional data, and further analysis will indicate if there are ongoing issues that need to be addressed. The importance of collecting policing data is to base policy on facts, not suppositions, and to that end, I am pleased the board and community will have greater access to the numbers.”
THE NUMBERS
The BPD traffic stop report for 2020 shows that the number of stops per month ranged from 130 in April to 517 in September, with five months showing more than 300 stops and the other months ranging from 130 to 258 stops.
In January, for instance, with 508 total stops, 11 drivers were Black, 11 were Hispanic and 8 were Asian. The vehicle driven by the Black person was searched.
Two other Blacks had their vehicles searched during different months, while two Hispanics had vehicles searched, also in different months.
The number of traffic stop searches involving Caucasian drivers was not included in the report.
Overall, the BPD report said there were 3,242 stops in 2020 involving Caucasian drivers (93.7%); 102 involving Black drivers (2.9%); 63 involving Asian drivers (1.8%); 55 involving Hispanic drivers (1.6%), and one with a Pacific island driver.
The report states that minority drivers made up 6.3% of the total number stopped in 2020. In all, the BPD made 3,463 stops made.
In addition, 2,182 civil violation complaints were issued, and there were 1,699 written warnings issued.
The report also states that 49% of the minority drivers stopped were pulled over on Route 7 or Route 279 in Bennington.
The complete report is included in the board’s meeting packet for March 22, which is posted on the town website.
"Stop" - Google News
March 26, 2021 at 05:47AM
https://ift.tt/3tRoY79
2020 BPD traffic stop report includes minority driver detail - Bennington Banner
"Stop" - Google News
https://ift.tt/2KQiYae
https://ift.tt/2WhNuz0
Bagikan Berita Ini
0 Response to "2020 BPD traffic stop report includes minority driver detail - Bennington Banner"
Post a Comment