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It has been a sad - but well-known - fact that in many communities, “Driving While Black” or “Driving While Hispanic” can be seen as a reason to get pulled over by police.
While the state has a law that mandates reports on the ethnicity of drivers pulled over in traffic stops - that data is not universally reported by towns. And the state agency that collects it is overburdened.
So a new investigation by the Hartford Courant’s Matthew Kauffman has served as the jumpstart needed for fresh discussion of the issue. Kauffman’s report showed that black and Hispanic drivers are more likely to get a ticket or court date after a traffic stop than white drivers.
But what’s at the root of this - and what can be done to change the trend?
Today, Matt Kauffman discusses his investigation. We’ll also be joined by State Representative Gary Holder-Winfield, who’s working to strengthen a law that monitors racial profiling.
And we’ll hear from someone on the front lines, Shafiq Abdussabur. He’s a police officer and author of A Black Man’s Guide to Law Enforcement in America.
