Law School Outreach: NCCU School of Law Speed Networking Event | Wednesday, April 7, 3:30 p.m. - 4:30 p.m.
Law School Outreach: Elon School of Law Speed Networking Event | Wednesday, April 14, 3:30 p.m. - 4:30 p.m.
Diversity & Inclusion Book Club: A Discussion of The Color of Law by Richard Rothstein | Wednesday, April 14, 6 p.m. - 7 p.m.
CLE: The Form I-864, the Right to Indefinite Spousal Support, and Family Law Implications | Thursday, April 15, 12 p.m. - 1 p.m.
CLE: Land Condemnation 2021 | Friday, April 16, 8:55 a.m. - 4:30 p.m.
CLE: Death Penalty 2021 | Friday, April 23, 8:25 a.m. - 4:15 p.m.
CLE: Criminal Jury Selection | Friday, May 7, 8:55 a.m. - 4:30 p.m.
CLE: Social Security Disability Winning Strategies | Friday, May 14, 8:55 a.m. - 4:30 p.m.
NCAJ Virtual Convention 2021 | June 10-12
For a full listing of upcoming virtual CLE programs, visit the Education homepage.
Traffic Stop Data Analysis in North Carolina
THE LAW
The 1999 North Carolina statute that requires collection of demographic information at roadside traffic stops can be found here.
TASK FORCE REPORT, DR. FRANK BAUMGARTNER
The Task Force on Racial and Ethnic Bias in the Criminal Justice System was dissolved when the Commission began its work. The Task Force completed several important analyses on publicly available data, the most extensive of which was Dr. Frank Baumgartner's study on ten year's worth of roadside traffic stop data. Access the report here.
COMMUNITY RESPONSE
Dr. Baumgartner found that in Durham County, for example, a black motorist is more than twice as likely as a white motorist to be searched after being stopped for speeding. Strong community advocacy in conjunction with the Baumgartner statistics prompted Durham County's Human Relations Commission to recommend reforms designed to alleviate racial disparities in policing outcomes. See press and reports about the controversy:
September, 2013: Traffic-Stop Numbers Show Racial Bias Across North Carolina
January, 2014: Human Relations Commission Hears Profiling Complaints
February, 2014: Durham Police Department Responds to Allegations of Racial Profiling
August, 2014: City Manager Issues Report
September, 2014: Changes to Policing Policies
ACLU SUGGESTS WAYS OF IMPROVING NC STATUTE ON TRAFFIC STOP DATA
There are specific ways in which the North Carolina law could be improved to benefit both the public and law enforcement. The "Road Work Ahead: Data Collection to Ameliorate Racially Biased Policing" report focuses on recommending three ways in which policy-makers at the legislative or administrative level could strengthen the data collection law to improve transparency and community engagement. The three recommendations are:
Covering the benefit of data collection for the community and police professionals, this is a very informative report that contributes greatly to the ongoing discussion around roadside traffic stop data analysis.
NC ASSOCIATION OF CHIEFS OF POLICE ISSUE A REPORT RESPONDING TO BAUMGARTNER'S REPORT
The North Carolina Association of Chief of Police (NCACP) had Dr. Deborah Weisel analyze traffic stop data collected in NC since 2000, review existing studies of traffic data in NC, and discuss best practices in traffic studies across the USA. Her work was compiled into an 115 page report, which can be found here.
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