Reality Check: Are Black Drivers Pulled Over More Than White Drivers?
ST. PAUL, Minn. (WCCO) -- The shooting death of Philando Castile during a traffic stop sparked protests across the country, including the Twin Cities.
Protesters are angry about what they say is unequal treatment of African-American drivers by police. Is that true?
The answer is yes. Black drivers are more likely to be pulled over than white drivers. They are searched during traffic stops more than white drivers, and black drivers are more likely than white drivers to get arrested.
Here's how we know: A 2003 Minnesota Statewide Racial Profiling Report looked at 65 different Minnesota cities and counties. It did not include St. Paul, St. Anthony or Falcon Heights, where the traffic stop and subsequent protests occurred.
That year, black people made up 3.5 percent of the state population, but they were pulled over in 30 percent of traffic stops.
In Minneapolis, there are fewer black drivers than white drivers, but black drivers were stopped at a rate of 152 percent more. And a 2011 Department of Justice report found that nationally, relatively more black drivers (13 percent) than white (10 percent) and Hispanic (10 percent) drivers were pulled over in a traffic stop during their most recent contact with police.
Minnesota police pulled over Philando Castile 52 times since 2002 for traffic violations.
The Associated Press reports that police records show he was pulled over about three times a year for misdemeanor offenses: Speeding, not wearing a seatbelt, driving without proof of insurance or a loud muffler.
Nationwide, black people are shot and killed by police at a higher rate than white people too. The Washington Post documented 512 people killed by police this year, most of whom had a gun.
From 2015-2016, 19 Minnesotans were killed by police. Five of them were black, about 26 percent in a state that has a black population of 6 percent.
So far this year, 26 police officers have been shot and killed. That's compared to 18 police officers dead at this time last year. That's a 44 percent increase in police deaths in just one year.
Here are some of the sources we used for this Reality Check:
MN Statewide Racial Profiling Report
Data Collection: State Police Traffic Stops
Washington Post: Fatal Force
Associated Press: Castile Stopped 52 Times By Police
US Dept of Justice: Police Behavior During Traffic Stops
National Law Enforcement Officers Memorial Fund
New York Times: Bias in Police Use of Force, But Not Shootings