Who is FHP pulling over? The I-TEAM analyzes 5 years of traffic stop data

JACKSONVILLE, Fla. – An I-TEAM investigation of 5 years of postulation halt information from the Florida Highway Patrol shows the proportionality of stops of Black drivers successful northeast Florida and statewide is higher than their proportions of the wide population.

After each postulation stop, troopers with FHP implicit a Traffic Stop Data Report, signaling demographic accusation astir the operator and the result of the stop. The information tin beryllium reviewed by a trooper’s supervisors, arsenic good arsenic others wrong the road patrol.

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In 2020, the FHP’s Office of Inspector General conducted an audit to spot if immoderate peculiar contention of operator was being singled retired connected the state’s roadways.

FHP Master Sergeant Dylan Bryan points retired that troopers often can’t adjacent spot the idiosyncratic down the wheel, and alternatively are focused connected whether oregon not the operator is obeying postulation laws.

“We’re stopping a violation, we’re stopping the vehicle,” Bryan said. “In astir cases, we don’t know, oregon astatine that constituent can’t spot who’s driving the vehicle, erstwhile we spot the usurpation occurred.”

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The inspector general’s survey looked astatine information from a six-month play successful 2019 for a illustration of troopers successful each of the state’s troops, looking astatine the sex and contention of the drivers stopped, arsenic good arsenic the trooper’s characteristics. The information was compared to Census information for each trooper’s territory.

In Troop G – which covers 9 counties successful Northeast Florida – the audit started with 9 randomly selected troopers.

“The accusation that was provided successful that audit, from the Traffic Stop Data Report, showed immoderate variances successful the postulation stops of 3 officers. Those 3 officers were past looked astatine a small closer,” Bryan explained.

That person look revealed that 2 of the 3 troopers successful question were successful the Contraband Interdiction Unit, which deals with activities involving amerciable drugs. Sgt. Bryan says that dissimilar troopers connected the road, the interdiction portion is moving disconnected of constabulary intelligence, and they person already identified the fishy earlier the postulation stop.

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“And sometimes we’re requested to marque postulation stops connected behalf of different agency,” Bryan said. “Specific information, precise elaborate information, saying, ‘hey, we request that car stopped.’”

FHP’s leaders said the 3rd trooper successful question was cleared pursuing a “random review” of 25 videos taken from the trooper’s dash camera. Troopers said their probe revealed determination wasn’t immoderate bias successful the trooper’s stops.

After reviewing the inspector general’s report, the I-TEAM took a broader presumption of FHP postulation halt data. We reviewed much than 3 cardinal stops from January 2016 to April 2021, astatine some the statewide level, and wrong Troop G. The I-TEAM past compared the proportionality of stops for White, Black, Hispanic, and Asian drivers to each group’s wide constitution wrong the population, according to 2020 Census data.

Statewide and wrong Northeast Florida, the proportionality of stops of Black drivers was higher than their population, portion the proportionality of stops for the different 3 groups was little than their populations.

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Part of the Florida Highway Patrol’s usage of the Traffic Stop Data Reports involves ensuring that the information is accurate. According to a July 2020 study from the Office of Inspector General, a subordinate of Troop B, which is based successful Lake City, was investigated for reporting mendacious accusation successful the reports.

The inspector wide sustained allegations against the trooper, uncovering aggregate postulation stops helium failed to participate into the strategy and different stops wherever helium didn’t really springiness the operator a informing adjacent though helium recorded that helium had. The trooper faced dismissal for the actions but resigned first.

Bryan said the findings from the inspector general’s statewide audit are a committedness to afloat transparency to the nationalist regarding who is being pulled over.

“If you’re stopped by the Florida Highway Patrol, it’s not personal,” Bryan said. “This is thing we’ve noticed, a hazardous violation, and that’s the lone happening that we’re trying to correct.”

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