Missouri traffic stop disparity falls for Black drivers during pandemic but remains high

EDITOR'S NOTE: The Attorney General's office corrected data errors for the Columbia Police Department.

COLUMBIA, Mo. (KMIZ)

A measure of how often drivers of different races pulled over compared to their population levels shows disproportionate traffic stops for Black drivers dropped during the pandemic.

The "disparity index" for Black drivers being stopped in Missouri went from 1.70 in 2019 to 1.63 in 2020 and 1.68 in 2021, according to the state's latest traffic stop disparity study, released Friday by the Missouri Attorney General's Office.

A "1" means drivers are being pulled over at a rate equal to their proportion of the local population. The numbers for Hispanic and Asian drivers in 2021 were 0.72 and 0.43, respectively. The rate for white drivers in 2020 and 2021 was 0.95.

Police treatment of black drivers has gained new prominence in recent years as videos from high-profile cases are shared through social and traditional media. Missouri began tracking the disparity index in 2000, publishing a report yearly.

White drivers made up about 74% of traffic stops in 2021 and Black drivers made up 42% of stops. Whites made up more than 80% of the state's population in 2020, while blacks were less than 11%.

Critics of the report have long said including non-Missouri residents in the numbers skews them. This year's report includes separate indexes for residents and non-residents. The Black disparity rate for 2021 goes down to 1.48 when only counting residents -- nearly 50% higher than the balanced rate of population to stops. The white disparity rate for residents only was higher -- 0.992.

The coronavirus pandemic reduced the number of traffic stops during 2020 and 2021 compared to previous years. Authorities made 20% fewer stops in 2020 than 2019, according to the report. Traffic stop arrests were down 34% between 2019 and 2021.

The Columbia Police Chief's Vehicle Stop Committee raised concerns about the numbers at a meeting this week. The committee says a high disproportion does not prove officers are discriminating against Bllack drivers, but it is evidence that must be taken seriously.

In 2021, Black people made up 10.42% of Columbia's driving-age population but were subjects of 35.2% of Columbia Police Department traffic stops in 2020.

Columbia's rate for Black drivers has been rising in recent years, unlike the statewide numbers. The number jumped from 2.92 in 2019 to 3.51 in 2020. The Black driver disparity rate was 3.18 last year.

The Boone County Sheriff's Department recorded a disparity index of 3.1 for Black drivers last year, compared to 0.86 for whites. A disparity index was not available for the University of Missouri Police Department.

The Jefferson City Police Department recorded a disparity index of 1.7 for Black drivers last year, compared to 0.9 for whites. The Cole County Sheriff's Department recorded a disparity index of 1.04 for Black drivers last year, compared to 1.02 for whites.

The Fulton Police Department recorded a disparity index of 1.83 for Black drivers last year, compared to 0.93 for whites. The Callaway County Sheriff's Department recorded a disparity index of 2.46 for Black drivers last year, compared to 0.95 for whites.

The Ashland Police Department recorded a disparity index of 42.59 for Black drivers last year, compared to 1.01 for whites.

The Randolph County Sheriff's Department recorded a disparity index of 1.23 for Black drivers last year, compared to 0.86 for whites.

The Moberly Police Department recorded a disparity index of .97 for Black drivers last year, compared to 1.06 for whites.

A separate report available online lists the numbers for each department.