ACLU Claims Figures Point To Racial Profiling in W.Va.
Wheeling police traffic stops also cited in ‘rights’ forumBy JOSELYN KING Political Writer
Article Photos
WHEELING - A 2009 study shows that African-Americans in West Virginia are more likely to be stopped by police than are white drivers.
Statistics on racial profiling in the state were presented Thursday as part of a "Know Your Rights" forum at West Virginia Northern Community College. It was sponsored by the West Virginia branch of the American Civil Liberties Union.
Matthew Bova - a law student and intern with the ACLU-WV - told those present that a study of arrests and racial profiling resulted following a required study of police actions.
The Racial Profiling and Data Collections Act, passed by the West Virginia Legislature in 2004, required officers to note the type of violation the vehicle was stopped for and whether the officers issued a citation, warning or took no action. They also had to note the time and day of each stop, how long the stop lasted and the patrol area and county where the stop occurred.
Results of the study were released in February, and Bova said it revealed some telling results:
In West Virginia, black drivers were found to be 1.64 times more likely to be stopped by officers than white drivers; and Hispanics, 1.48 times more likely.
Black and Hispanic drivers also were found to more often be searched by officers after being stopped. Blacks were searched 2.45 times more often than whites; and Hispanics, 2.37 times.
Statistics showed that illegal items were found in the cars searched owned by white drivers 47.17 percent of the time; blacks, 43.11 percent; and Hispanics, 30.23 percent.
Statistics for arrests specifically by the Wheeling Police Department also were presented.
In Wheeling, blacks were found to be stopped by police 1.71 times more often that whites, and they were 2.2 times more likely to be searched after being stopped, according to the data.
The number of times illegal items were found in cars driven by whites and blacks in Wheeling was equal.
The racial profiling numbers in some other cities throughout West Virginia were higher than those in Wheeling.
For example, in Parkersburg blacks were found to be 2.1 times more likely to be stopped by police than whites. And in Charleston, blacks were 4.92 times more likely to be searched than whites.
Bova noted that some might speculate that blacks are stopped at higher rates because they are more apt to use illegal drugs. More statistics, though, show this is not the case.
He cited figures from the 2008 U.S. Department of Health and Human Services National Study on Drug Use showing that the drug abuse rate for whites is 9 percent; for blacks, 8.8 percent; and for Hispanics, 9.5 percent.
Minorities comprise 5 percent of West Virginia's population, though they account for 38.3 percent of those incarcerated, according to a 2002 report from the Human Rights Watch.
And in 2006, African-Americans comprised 21 percent of all those arrested on drug charges in West Virginia, though they account for 3.2 percent of the population in the state.
From 7-9 p.m. Tuesday, YWCA-Racial Justice, the Wheeling Human Rights Commission and the Martin Luther King Committee will sponsor a town hall meeting titled "Calling for a Better Wheeling."
The event will take place in the Troy Theater at Wheeling Jesuit University and will feature panelists from local government, law enforcement, clergy, education and the community.
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EllisWyatt
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11-07-09 11:40 PM
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boxerboy There is a copy cat on this board, who posts under a name that is very similar to my own. He/She does not post with my same level of intellect. You must clearly look at the posting name before making a judgement call. The copycat is unoriginal, humorless, intellectually lacking and quite pathetic.
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1dougie
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11-07-09 11:26 PM
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Well before Diana Bell and the ACLU goes screaming about racism again, Maybe she should go and pick up a few copies of the Final Call and pass it around, im sure the people attend that meeting would be intrested in reading that newspaper,
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boxerboy
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11-07-09 10:41 PM
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Alisa Rosenbaum, aka EllisWyatt, you are glib to use homosexual jargon.
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Graysongs
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11-07-09 10:38 PM
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Another fundraiser story from the ACLU and no doubt the NAACP as well. These people need the "myth of racism" to stay in business. The true racism is in Planned Parenthood, but both these groups are pals and political allies with them. Shuck and jive shell games by frauds all around.
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MrMonday
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11-07-09 10:34 PM
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"From 7-9 p.m. Tuesday, YWCA-Racial Justice, the Wheeling Human Rights Commission and the Martin Luther King Committee will sponsor a town hall meeting The event will take place in the Troy Theater at Wheeling Jesuit University and will feature panelists from local government, law enforcement, clergy, education and the community." This event is a farce. The only views they're looking for are those that conform to the usual politicall-correct gobbledygook. Anyone who speaks the honest truth on this issue I'm sure will be tarred and feathered.
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MrMonday
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11-07-09 10:28 PM
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The reason for racial profiling is to deter crime, not to pick on black folks. And it's used mainly in the case of young black males, who commit crimes WAY out of proportion to their numbers or that of any other demographic. Stopping it will just result in the upsurge of crime in mainly BLACK neighborhoods. But in this day and age political correctness trumps everything, especially common sense. And speaking of the American Civil Lunatics Union, have they sent anyone out to Fort Hood yet to make sure that assassin is provided with a proper Islamic diet while in custody?
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homer1
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11-07-09 7:17 AM
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I not sure about RACIAL PROFILING but I'm pretty darn sure that some law enforcement officers do stop "smokin hot chicks" when there is not a violation of the law.
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Wheeldog
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11-07-09 1:12 AM
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"Millions of black babies have been killed by liberals who love that they have a right to murder children," Ellis. The term "true believer" comes to mind. Extremism in any cause or philosophy is ultimately destructive. It walls off any possibility of meaningful discussion and sharing of facts and opinions. It vilifies those who have differing views and encourages acts of hostility.
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1dougie
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11-06-09 11:50 PM
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One thing is true, blacks are singled out.In some small cities and towns in other parts of the country, These towns don't permits blacks to live in their towns and often chase them out, when they do come in to their towns,
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1dougie
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11-06-09 11:43 PM
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What the cops should do after reading this article is leave the black commuinty alone and not go on any calls in those neighborhoods and let those people defend themselves, And that way no one can acuse them of Racial profiling,
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wv26003
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11-06-09 10:19 PM
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"Bitter" white people sure are entertaining.
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TruthSeeker
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11-06-09 9:00 PM
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Ellis, et al: What ignorant******you are. I don't care if you believe my story, it is the truth. Admit it, you care only about yourselves and no one else. You are the most ignorant people I have ever encountered. Crawl back under your rocks or in your caves as you have no place in todays world.
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JamesT
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11-06-09 7:14 PM
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Remember when the ACLU sued the City Of Weirton over The Nativity scene? Well, the conservatives have thier own legal eagles. American Center for Law and Justice is the Republican answer to the Democrat ACLU. The ACLU lost against the ACLJ in Weirton. GOP equals traditional mainstream American values where the Democratic Party represents modern liberal socilist values. George Washington and Abe Lincoln versus Karl Marx and Moa. Reagan versus Obama. Which represents you?
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EllisWyatt
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11-06-09 7:01 PM
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Truth (false) Your story about your black "friend" getting pulled over reeks of BS. I have NEVER, in the tri-state area, heard of, or seen, any person pulled over by police for the heck of it. In fact, until recently, police could not pull you over for a seatbelt violation unless you did something else to get pulled over first. Did your friend speed, drive erratically, idle in front of an East Wheeling slum at 3 am or otherwise draw attention to herself? Was the car stolen? Did it resemble a similar car wanted in a crime? How could she afford a new, flashy car while living in Wheeling and going to school at Wheeling Jesuit? If she had enough money for the car, why was she living with her mother? I am not saying that such things can happen but it seems to me that, in this day and age, no police officer will pull over a car for the heck of it. Cops get shot all the time. Why would they put themselves at risk unnecessarily?
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EllisWyatt
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11-06-09 6:47 PM
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One of Planned Parenthood's original goals was to introduce measures and procedures to eliminate blacks through the use of abortion. Millions of black babies have been killed by liberals who love that they have a right to murder children. Democrats have forced black Americans into public housing, public schools, public welfare and public health care-all of which have destroyed the black community and made them numb. They are dependent on liberals, like a drug. You may not hear the rattle of the chains but the black community has been enslaved-by Social Democrats and by their own black "leaders".
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JamesT
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11-06-09 6:47 PM
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I recall when Black cops in Miami, Florida, shot and killed an unarmed hispanic kid. Where were the race baiters like Sharpton, Jackson, Farakan? Oh, yaeh! Geraldo Riviera was there.
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Wheeldog
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11-06-09 6:46 PM
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Racial profiling is wrong - period. There is no excuse for officers charged with enforcing the law to use their authority to single out and/or harass a person on the basis of race or other personal background characteristic that is legal. The power to enforce the law must be balanced with the ability to deal objectively and fairly with individuals. The days of Jim Crow are behind us - hopefully. Biased law enforcement ultimately undermines the rule of law and contributes to the decay of society. The State of West Virginia and county and municipal governments should investigate the findings of this study to determine if they have any validity. If they do immediate actions should be taken to correct the flaws in the system. Officers who cannot put aside their personal biases in carrying out their duties should be removed from active enforcement.
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EllisWyatt
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11-06-09 6:43 PM
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There IS slavery in this country. It is the ongoing enslavement of black Americans by liberals. Think about this: Before the "Great Society" programs of liberal LBJ, blacks had greater marriage rates than whites, similar percentages of out of wedlock births, similar home ownership rates and were increasing their wealth and educational rates at a faster rate than the average white person. POST "Great Society", blacks were enslaved. Look at the marriage rates, out of wedlock birth rates (70%), dropout rate, test scores, home ownership rates and wealth building among black Americans. Social Democrat party policies ruined the black community. Liberals like to trot out their tired "I have black friends" statement and put their arms around black preachers at election time. Meanwhile, they don't hire blacks and they would never live in a neighborhood with blacks. Liberalism is the new Jim Crow.
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1whoworks
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11-06-09 6:34 PM
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Lets see. Some friends and I were pulled over in Pittsburgh and searched when I was younger. Nothing was found. I was pulled over several years ago and searched on my way home from work. Nothing. My son was pulled over last year. Nothing. We are not black. This is more of the racial stuff that makes me sicker and sicker as we go. Too bad so sad. The black community needs to straighten themselves out! More crime = more checks. Sorry it only makes sense.
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formerohvalleyresident
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11-06-09 6:12 PM
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Of course when Obama sided with Professor Henry Gates over a white police officer without having any facts to support it, that was NOT racial profiling… 90210 minus 64207, don’t how to tell you pal, but your, uh, “Lies” are getting flaccid, man. You need a big dose of extra strength LI-AGRA to "man up" your lies here!
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JamesT
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11-06-09 5:54 PM
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NAMBLA The Democratic Party's Dating Service
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JamesT
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11-06-09 5:53 PM
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ACLU The Democratic Party's Guard!
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ConservativeKaty
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11-06-09 5:40 PM
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With reports required for the Racial Profiling Data Collections Act, officers surely follow nationally required “probable cause” to pull over a driver. Therefore, what the numbers show is that for every 100 white drivers pulled over for observed traffic infractions, 164 black drivers and 148 Hispanic drivers were pulled over for similar observed infractions. For every 10 of the 100 white drivers searched for probable cause, based on observed and reported behavior putting the officers at risk, 24 blacks and 24 Hispanics similarly misbehaved with the officers to prompt legal searches. So, 5 of these legally searched white drivers were found to possess illegal substances, while 10 blacks and 7 Hispanics, who were similarly legally searched, were found to possess illegal substances, all in addition to their traffic infractions. In summary, RPDCA statistics show blacks and Hispanics as worse drivers than whites and more often carry illegal substances when driving poorly.
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TruthSeeker
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11-06-09 5:10 PM
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In WV only non-reflective tint is allowed on the top 5 inches of the windshield. "Gangster" tint is illegal.
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Shark88
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11-06-09 4:38 PM
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Hey police NCK9....especially tough to tell what color the driver is if the windows are tinted gangster black. Even an American Indian can be mistaken for a black man. That just ain't right and I don't see the ACLU taking up their cause.
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