Investigation Finds Chicago Police Officers Routinely Fail to Report Traffic Stops
A recent investigation by a watchdog organization found that Chicago Police officers have routinely failed to document instances of traffic stops that do not end in arrest or charges, as many as 20,000 a month last year, in violation of a 2003 law which mandates that every traffic stop must be documented. This information stands in stark contrast to CPD Superintendent Larry Snelling reporting this past June that traffic stops in Chicago were down by approximately 87,000 stops from last year. What is particularly troubling about these numbers is that rates of traffic stops increased just as the department announced it would move away from the controversial “stop-and-frisk” tactic of patrolling, with some believing the practice is just a replacement to the policy that advocates say violated individuals Fourth Amendment rights. “It is quite concerning, especially if CPD is intentionally not recording traffic stops so they can claim they’re fixing the problem, when all they’re doing is hiding it behind an absence of data,” said Alexandra Block, director of the Criminal Legal System & Policing Project at the ACLU of Illinois. Many advocates believe that officers use minor traffic stops as a pretext to search for drugs and weapons in minority neighborhoods. CPD leadership seems to know that traffic stops present an issue, with Snelling asking that traffic stops be brought under the supervision of the federal courts under the federal consent decree that CPD has been under since 2019. However, advocacy groups remain skeptical about the effectiveness of the consent degree and what change it can bring to drivers who feel they are being profiled and the routine traffic stops are an infringement on their rights.
Increase in Traffic Stops Across Illinois in 2023
The issue of increased traffic stops is not confined to Chicago, as recently released data shows that there was a 12% increase in traffic stops across the state in 2023 from the previous year, which impacted African Americans and Latinos at a disproportionate rate. The study from the Illinois Department of Transportation found that African American drivers were stopped at higher rates in 95% of reporting agencies than white drivers, and Latino drivers were stopped at a higher rate in 81% of agencies. Perhaps more troubling is the number of interactions police have with minorities, as African Americans were three times more likely to have been pulled over 4-10 times than that of a white driver. The study noted that these numbers reflected the possibility that racial profiling was a factor in a number of stops but came short of stating the data proves it. “It’s really disappointing to see that after all the attention that has been paid to the disparity in traffic stops along racial lines, that we see not just the continuation of those racial disparities but we see an increase in the number of stops,” said Ed Yohnka of the ACLU of Illinois. Anyone accused of a crime as result of what they believe to be a result of racial profiling should hire an experienced criminal defense attorney that can protect their constitutional rights and suppress any evidence that was the product of an illegal search or seizure.
