4 graphics break down racial disparities in Louisville police traffic stops

Bailey Loosemore, Louisville Courier Journal
·2 min read
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Twenty months after a high-profile review found Louisville Metro police don't treat Black people equitably, data shows officers are continuing to pull over Black drivers and search their vehicles at disparate rates.

Black people make up 20% of Louisville's population age 18 and older as of the 2020 Census. But city data shows Black drivers made up 33% of LMPD traffic stops where a citation was issued and 53% of searches between January 2020 and September 2022.

The figures are consistent with a 2019 Courier Journal analysis, as well as a 2021 Hillard Heintze report commissioned by city officials in the wake of protests over the police killing of Breonna Taylor, a Black woman who was fatally shot by officers serving a "no-knock" warrant in a failed drug investigation.

According to The Courier Journal analysis, Black drivers accounted for 33% of stops and 57% of searches between 2016 and 2018.

The rate of stops involving Black drivers hasn't wavered in the four years since, despite a reduction in stops amid the COVID-19 pandemic.

Meanwhile, the percentage of vehicle searches involving Black drivers fell in 2019 before increasing each year after.

Louisville traffic stops: What police can and can't do if you get pulled over

When broken down by race and gender, white men make up the largest portion of traffic stops with citations, which can involve anything from speeding to not wearing a seat belt. They account for 36% of stops, on par with their 35% of the population 18 and older.

However, Black men are most frequently searched at 45% — a vast difference from their 9% of the population.

Overrepresentation of Black drivers in stops and searches is most frequent in LMPD divisions with the lowest Black populations.

For example, Black people make up just 5% of the population in the Fifth Division, encompassing Clifton and the Highlands. But they account for 31% of stops and 41% of searches there.

More:Louisville police still search Black drivers most frequently despite promise of reforms

Black drivers are underrepresented in stops and searches in LMPD's Second Division, which encompasses much of the predominantly Black West End.

To explore more traffic stop data, visit data.louisvilleky.gov.

Find the Hillard Heintze report at louisville-police.org/35/LMPD-Transparency.

Reach reporter Bailey Loosemore at bloosemore@courier-journal.com, 502-582-4646 or on Twitter @bloosemore. Support strong local journalism by subscribing today: https://www.courier-journal.com/baileyl.

This article originally appeared on Louisville Courier Journal: Data: Louisville police are still most likely to search Black drivers