Pubdate: Tue, 03 May 2005
Source: Miami Herald (FL)
Copyright: 2005 The Miami Herald
Contact:  http://www.miami.com/mld/miamiherald/
Details: http://www.mapinc.org/media/262
Author: David Ovalle

REPORT: BLACKS EYED BUT NOT PROFILED

No evidence exists that Miami-Dade police engage in racial profiling
when pulling over motorists -- but blacks are heavily scrutinized once
pulled over, a long-awaited study released Monday says.

Miami-Dade County police officers usually do not consider race when
making traffic stops, although black motorists often face more
scrutiny than others once they are pulled over, according to a
long-awaited study released on Monday.

The study -- ordered by the County Commission in 2000 and hailed
Monday as the most comprehensive look at racial profiling nationwide
- -- found ''no consistent, systematic or patterned'' targeting of
minorities for traffic stops.

''In 70 percent of the time, officers, when they turn their lights on,
they do not know the color of the driver,'' said Geoffrey Alpert, a
sociologist from the University of South Carolina who headed the study.

''Race profiling is not a problem with Miami-Dade Police
Department,'' Miami-Dade Police Director Robert Parker said at a press
conference announcing the report's findings.

Some Complaints

But skeptics complained that the study was made public six months
after it was turned over to police, a delay that prompted charges that
the department was trying to downplay the report.

''It allowed the Miami-Dade County Police Department to basically
present its version of the report,'' said Terry Coble, the president
of the Greater Miami chapter of the American Civil Liberties Union.

Public Record?

Parker said officials first had to deem whether the report was a
public record and said the delay also stemmed from scheduling
conflicts among police, politicians and community activists.

The study also analyzed what happens to motorists after they are
pulled over. The results were varied.

Blacks were less likely to be charged with possession of illegal items
- - - such as drugs or weapons -- than Hispanics or whites and were more
likely to receive a verbal warning.

On the other hand, they had their cars towed more often than other two
groups, as well as subjected to pat-down searches and computerized
background screenings, the study found.

While the majority of traffic stops didn't result in searches, black
drivers were subjected to extra scrutiny 4.1 percent of the time,
compared to 2.7 percent for whites and 2.6 percent for Hispanics. The
result: Blacks get arrested more, the study said.

`Racial Disparities'

''Research has shown that some racial disparities in officer decision-
making are derived from general cultural values and unconscious
attitudes,'' the study said. ``These concerns are not limited to
police, but shared by many people in the general population.''

The study was conducted by Alpert's firm and analyzed traffic data for
more than 66,000 traffic stops in unincorporated Miami-Dade,
information filed by officers and ride-alongs by observers from the
University of Miami.

''As a member of the black community, I do have a problem with these
findings,'' said County Commissioner Barbara Jordan.

The findings were unveiled at a press conference at Miami-Dade police
headquarters in Doral. However, the study was turned over to
Miami-Dade police nearly six months ago.

At the press conference, members of the ACLU grilled Parker, the
police director. They said police stalled the study's release and did
not give a county board created to oversee the study time to analyze
the data.

The study was commissioned by the county five years ago amid rising
complaints from the black community about racial profiling. The report
also spawned the racial profiling advisory board, which included a
seat for the ACLU.

Last month, the Miami New Times reported the study's existence and
filed a public-records request to obtain the study.

Legal Action

The ACLU on Monday said it had been preparing to take legal action
against the department on the weekly newspaper's behalf.

Coble said the ACLU did not receive a copy of the report until Friday
afternoon.

The ACLU, however, did support the study's recommendations: better
training and maintaining in-depth records of traffic stops.

Said Commissioner Jordan: ``I look forward to working with director
Parker in making sure those recommendations are implemented.''
- ---
MAP posted-by: SHeath(DPFFLorida)