Published by Seven Days
When they stop motorists in Vermont, cops don’t just collect licenses and registrations. As of September 1, 2014, all police officers in the state must record the race of every driver they pull over.
image courtesy Beachfront B-Roll
The new mandate for “roadside stop” data collection is just one step in a national movement to halt discriminatory law enforcement. “Throughout the country, there’s a crisis of legitimacy in policing,” said Burlington Police Chief Brandon del Pozo. “Part of that crisis stems from a belief that the police are biased in the way they use their discretion. And traffic stops are something that police have immense discretion over.”
But Vermonters are still waiting to see what the new statewide data collection reveals. That’s because, while technically public, the information remains largely inaccessible. In 16 months, no one has compiled the raw data — a necessary first step before analysis. In fact, no one even knows if all of law enforcement is complying with the mandate to collect the data in the first place.
// Watch my WCAX television interview about the story
How a propos, given it is MLK’s birthday. I would love to see results on this!