Ronnie Dunn
Associate Professor Of Urban Studies, Cleveland State University
Key Findings
- In four of the five counties, there was a significant racial influence in traffic ticket patterns.
- In counties with a higher population of Black or minority individuals, the racial disparities were also found to be higher.
- Blacks in Cleveland received 53% more traffic tickets than their expected proportional share and were 2.5 more likely to be ticketed by the police.
- Other minorities in Cleveland received 10% more traffic tickets than their expected proportional share and 1.8 times more likely to be ticketed by the police.
- Black males were ticketed 15% more than the next highest group.
- The primary violation for traffic tickets were speeding, followed by driving under suspension and seat belt violations.
- Whites were most likely to be ticketed for speeding at 47%. Blacks were most likely to be cited for driving under suspension (79%) and seat belt violations (61%).
- Whites were more likely to be ticketed for moving violations and Blacks for non-moving violations
Description
In the article, “Racial Profiling: A Persistent Civil Rights Challenge Even in the Twenty-First Century,” Dunn examines the use of racial profiling by law enforcement in traffic stops in Ohio. Traffic stops are the most common form of interaction between the police and citizens in Ohio. To conduct his study, Dunn used data from the Northeast Ohio Areawide Coordinating Agency (NOACA) travel survey, which records the number of car trips taken in five counties in Cleveland, Ohio, and the 2010 U.S. Census data. The findings showed that in four of the five counties, there was a significant racial influence in traffic ticket patterns. In counties with a higher population of Black or minority individuals, the racial disparities were also found to be higher. Blacks in Cleveland received 53% more traffic tickets than their expected proportional share and were 2.5 more likely to be ticketed by police. Other minorities in Cleveland received 10% more traffic tickets than their expected proportional share and 1.8 times more likely to be ticketed by police. Black males were ticketed 15% more than the next highest group. The primary violation for traffic tickets were speeding, followed by driving under suspension and seat belt violations. Whites were most likely to be ticketed for speeding at 47%. Blacks were most likely to be cited for driving under suspension (79%) and seat belt violations (61%). Overall, Whites were more likely to be ticketed for moving violations and Blacks for non-moving violations. In conclusion, Dunn notes that non-moving violations accounted for the largest racial disparity impacting Blacks but more research needs to be done to address these issues.