Bill Provides Solutions to Reduce Racial Disparities in Policing Across Missouri
The ACLU of Missouri supports the Fourth Amendment Affirmation Act, recently filed in the Missouri Senate, to reduce racial disparities in policing in Missouri.
African-American drivers in Missouri are 69 percent more likely to be stopped than whites, according to a 2015 report from the Missouri attorney general’s office. This unequal treatment of racial minorities while driving has been documented for more than 15 years.
The Fourth Amendment Affirmation Act, filed by Sen. Jamilah Nasheed, D-St. Louis, would begin to minimize racial disparities in policing and develop trust between law enforcement agencies and communities.
“To ensure no Missourian is stopped by police because of their race, we need to understand and fix the causes of racial disparities in policing,” said Jeffrey Mittman, ACLU of Missouri Executive Director. “This bill provides training for law enforcement. It provides data to communities and police departments that believe they are policing appropriately and ensures that pedestrians will no longer be stopped simply because of their racial or ethnic group, age, or gender.”
Communities shouldn’t have to worry about not being treated equally,” said Nasheed. “The Fourth Amendment Affirmation Act provides the information needed to recognize those departments that police minority communities unfairly, and those departments that protect and serve all.”
The bill includes flexibility and time for departments to address challenges the data reveals and carries penalties for law enforcement agencies that fail to comply year after year.
Read the bill: http://on.mo.gov/2jkJzx6