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Racial bias found in Ann Arbor traffic stops
Black men are more than twice as likely to be pulled over in Ann Arbor as non-Black men in Ann Arbor. That's the conclusion from a racial bias study out of Ann Arbor, which was commissioned by the former chief of police and conducted by a sociology professor at Eastern Michigan University.
ANN ARBOR, Mich. (FOX 2) - Black men are more than twice as likely to be pulled over in Ann Arbor as non-Black men in Ann Arbor.
That's the conclusion from a racial bias study out of Ann Arbor, which was commissioned by the former chief of police and conducted by a sociology professor at Eastern Michigan University.
The study also determined Black men were up to five times as likely to be searched.
Understanding if there was racial bias as well as to what extent was key to the high brass at the city, Dr. Kevin Karpiak said.
"They really agreed this was something that would be useful to them and the city as a whole to help both parties do the work they want to do," he said.
The study does come with limitations, Karpiak warned, which would be key to further understanding the problem.
"We collected no evidence about whether there was any racial hatred or biases and the reasons for why people are pulling over," he said. "So we cannot prove or disprove the motivations."
It included every traffic stop by Ann Arbor police from 2017 to 2019.
The study has already led to symbolic change within the department and promises to do more from the city council.
Initially ordered by the city's former police chief before leaving for Boston in 2022, the request was for a deep dive into just who was being pulled over. While the city is still searching for their next chief, officials aren't waiting to make fixes.
"I'm extremely excited to see interim Chief Metzer release that they will enact some of the policies. I was more heartened to see Ann Arbor City Council codify it as an ordinance," said Kapiak.
After the study was published, the interim police chief issued a policy that no officer shall pull over anyone based on race, age, or gender identity. Police have also made the statistics public in ral time.
The public is also invited to weigh in on the study during a police oversight commission on Sept. 27. The study is the only thing on the agenda.