Columbia Police Chief responds to state traffic stop report
On Monday, the Missouri Attorney General’s office released a report detailing traffic stops across the state.
The disparity between the number of black drivers pulled over last year compared to the white drivers who were stopped was the highest since 2000.
Attorney General Chris Koster said the state’s African American drivers were 75% more likely than their white counterparts to be stopped on Missouri’s roads based on their proportionate share of the driving-age population.
Columbia Police Chief Ken Burton sat down with ABC 17 News Tuesday morning to discuss the report.
When asked if the numbers are concerning, Burton said there are a lot of factors that go into the issue.
He said it is something the Columbia Police Department takes a look at each year to assess where there might be any issues.
Burton also talked about downtown cameras in Columbia.
Burton feels the department is doing the best it can do given the fact that the community spoke back in 2010 saying they didn’t want the cameras monitored 24 hours a day.
Burton said he doesn’t feel like that will change, and said the cameras are mainly used after a crime has occurred and officers go back and look at the footage.
