Pubdate: Fri, 26 November 1999 Source: Sarasota Herald-Tribune (FL) Copyright: 1999 Sarasota Herald-Tribune Contact: http://www.newscoast.com/ Forum: http://207.87.15.61/cgi-bin/webx.exe LOOKING FOR EVIDENCE Florida's law enforcement officers have plenty of things to do. Stopping people for "driving while black" shouldn't be among them. State Sen. Kendrick Meek, a former state trooper, fears that blacks and Hispanics are targeted unfairly for traffic stops in some communities. Meek says he's been pulled over himself, for no apparent reason other than the fact that he's black. Similar anecdotes -- and, in some cases, solid evidence -- abound. In several highly publicized cases in 1992, Volusia County officials settled lawsuits with minorities who were stopped without cause. An Orlando Sentinel study found that 70 percent of the drivers stopped on Interstate 95 in Florida were black. Officials in New Jersey recently admitted some of their troopers engaged in the practice known as racial profiling. Similar allegations have surfaced in Maryland, Pennsylvania and other states. It's time for Florida to determine how widespread the problem is here. Meek, D-Miami, and Rep. Tony Hill, D- Jacksonville, are pushing for a task force to study traffic stops. Under their proposal, sheriff's offices and police departments would keep records on the race of individuals stopped and the reasons they were stopped. Rep. Hill said the state needs to delve into "concrete evidence, not just someone saying it's going on, without any data." The search for information is under way. The Florida Highway Patrol is planning to collect more data about traffic stops beginning Jan. 1, and President Clinton has ordered federal law enforcement agencies to do the same. As FHP Director Curt Hall has pointed out, the integrity of law enforcement is undermined if the public perceives that prejudice rules the road. The proposal by Sen. Meek and Rep. Hill will help disprove that perception or set in motion the changes necessary to end racial profiling. - --- MAP posted-by: Doc-Hawk