Traffic stop data recently released by the Illinois Department of Transportation show that the Springfield Police Department has a lot of explaining to do. In Springfield in 2023 there were 11,516 traffic stops, a 37% increase over the year before. Of those stops, 51% involved Black drivers, while only 16% of the population is Black. The percentage of stops involving Black drivers remained about the same as in 2021 (50%) and 2022 (49%) even though the number of stops increased. In 2023, Black drivers were 5.7 times more likely to be stopped than white drivers, leading many to conclude that Black drivers are being targeted for intimidation. Other possible explanations include the one often used in the past, that there is a greater police presence in high-crime, low-income areas, which are often predominantly Black neighborhoods. Members of the Springfield American Civil Liberties Union, who will be discussing the disparities with police and the City Council over the next few days, want solutions, not excuses. As Ken Page, Springfield ACLU president, says, “The numbers do not look good.” – Fletcher Farrar, editor
This article appears in Sheriff’s department hiring under scrutiny.
If the police spent all of their time on the west side pulling over soccer moms, Fletcher would complain that the police are ignoring the east side and that the black community deserves policing of their streets.
The woke brigade will ALWAYS find a way to call the police racist no matter what the police actually do.
#BurgerFinger @BurgerAddict Its almost like the idea of fair treatment threatens your sense of control. Classic projection, right? When the numbers dont lie, its telling who scrambles to make it about wokeness just to dodge accountability… Serving Colonizer realness!!