Black and Latino drivers in the city of Peoria are disproportionately more likely to get pulled over by police than white motorists.
That's according to 2022 data recently released by the Illinois Department of Transportation. Law enforcement agencies are required to submit the information to IDOT annually per the Illinois Traffic and Pedestrian Stop Statistical Safety Act.
In Peoria, Black drivers are six times more likely to be stopped by police than white drivers. Latino drivers are 1.7 times more likely. Similar racial disparities are also seen in other larger Illinois cities and statewide.
Joshua Levin is a staff attorney with the Illinois chapter of the American Civil Liberties Union. He said most stops aren't making communities safer.
"We believe that given the harm that are taking place to Black and brown folks on the road that are just trying to pick up their kid from work from school or get to work on time, that we need to be seeing a real public safety benefit. And we're not seeing that at all, as this data shows," Levin said.
Levin said low-level infractions like cracked taillights or burnt-out license plate lights instigate many of the stops. Less than 10% of traffic stops result in police recovering contraband like drugs or illegal firearms.
"Every police department needs to do serious self examination in order to determine what those practices are, and then eliminate them," Levin said.
Ultimately, Levin argues police time and resources can and should be utilized more effectively than traffic stops that disproportionately impact people of color.
"That's a very intimidating experience. That's a very harassing experience. And that's one that makes our black and brown neighbors feel like they're not equal citizens. And so it is critical that law enforcement departments work with communities to address this problem, and to try to eliminate these racial disparities," he said.
