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Traffic Stops

A photo collage shows, from left, Vanika Burks, a Black woman with a bomber jacket; Cornelius Love, a Black man with a plain baseball cap; and Asia Barton, a Black woman wearing a New York Yankees cap, all in grayscale tones, at the bottom of the frame. Behind them are a digital sign that reads “Prepare to Stop,” a white Cleveland Police truck and a man facing away from the viewer in a yellow vest that reads “Police” on the back.
Cleveland October 1
Cleveland Police Stop and Search Black Drivers at Higher Rates Despite DOJ Oversight
Review of 17,000 Cleveland police stops shows Black people are searched three times as often, yet White people have contraband at near equal rates.
By , The Marshall Project, Sarah Buduson, News 5 Cleveland
A Black woman stands to attend a hearing for a traffic citation in a waiting room. A few other people sit nearby. Two officers stand near the door.
Cleveland December 1, 2022
Ohio Lawmaker Wants Law Requiring Police to Record Race During Traffic Stops
The Cleveland Democrat says “the only way we can make systemic change is with the data.”
By and
Two black police vehicles are stopped next to each other in Bratenahl, Ohio.
Cleveland November 21, 2022
How a Wealthy Cleveland Suburb Profits From Ticketing Black Drivers
Black Clevelanders say Bratenahl police have targeted them for years.
By , and
Police officers walk up to a vehicle in Milwaukee in 2014.
Commentary October 8, 2018
Forget The Ticket — Could You Get Arrested For A Parking Violation?
Supreme Court lets stand lower court ruling extending pretextual stops to parking infractions.
By Katy Naples-Mitchell
Feature June 21, 2017
How to Cut Down on Searches in Traffic Stops: Legalize Pot
New data shows legalization leads to fewer encounters between cops and drivers, but racial disparities remain.
By and Eric Sagara
Some states prohibit driving with any amount of THC in your system while others have a legal cutoff.
News January 16, 2017
When Are You Too Stoned to Drive?
The question is trickier than you’d think for police, and the courts, to answer.
By
Police cars in Los Angeles in April 2011. California is among the states which have enacted new laws requiring state and local police agencies to collect and report stop and search information.
News June 21, 2016
Are Traffic Stops Prone to Racial Bias?
An attempt to find out confronts a frayed patchwork of data across the country.
By Vignesh Ramachandran and Katie Kramon
News October 6, 2015
A Rural Sheriff Stares Down the Justice Department
In North Carolina case on racial profiling, U.S. suffers its first loss.
By
One customer at Astoria Auto Detailing Center in Queens said the tint on the windows of his Mercedes-Benz, pictured above, were within the legal limit. “I know because I’ve been pulled over so many times [for my windows].”
News August 17, 2015
When ‘Broken Windows’ Meets Tinted Windows
In New York, darkened car windows lead to more police encounters than stop and frisk.
By
News August 10, 2015
The Woman Who Spent Six Years Fighting a Traffic Stop
Getting caught in a speed trap in a small Louisiana town.
By
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