Activist group calls for police chief’s job over report

Members of the group Race Matters, Friends said they would “accept nothing short” of the Columbia police chief’s removal over the Missouri attorney general’s report on traffic stops.

ABC 17 News reported on the traffic stop data last Thursday, which showed black drivers in Columbia were pulled over by police three times the expected rate in 2016. Black drivers were also four times more likely to be pulled over than white drivers. The “racial disparity index” for black drivers hit its highest level for Columbia since the attorney general began collecting data in 2000.

So far, the department has not commented on the rise of the racial disparity index in 2016. Department spokeswoman Bryana Larimer said they would address the report Tuesday morning.

Several members of Race Matters, Friends spoke to the Columbia City Council on Monday night about the report, and the police’s lack of response so far. Tara Warne-Griggs questioned why it would take several days to comment, since CPD was the one that provided the state with the information.

The department, along with Chief Burton, have held several “listening sessions” on the topic when Race Matters, Friends asked for a deeper conversation about the potential of racial profiling. Chief Burton denied that any officers consciously profile drivers based on race.

Others at Monday’s meeting defended Burton. James Gray, a local pastor, said Race Matters, Friends needed to focus on building a stronger relationship with the community. He commended the work of the police department’s Community Outreach Unit

“When you talk about the chief, you are downing every officer out there trying to do the right thing.”

City Manager Mike Matthes said the staff are not done with their work started last year on the topic of racial profiling. One more listening session is planned this summer, and the city has consulted with other cities to figure out how they reduced their disproportionate number of minority-driver traffic stops.