A recent study by the Bureau of Justice Statistics almost sounds heartening. It states that, by a small margin, black were actually less likely to be pulled over than any other group. But, like the saying goes, “the devil’s in the details.”

A closer analysis reveals something very interesting. Even though the black driver is the least likely to be pulled over, this group represents those who undergo the most vehicle searches. While only 3.6 percent of white drivers were subject to searches, more than twice that percentage (9.5 percent) of black drivers had their vehicles searched.

Of course, the bureau says that this is not proof of profiling but, journalist Eugene Robinson brings forth some interested analysis on this report.

The report says the “apparent disparities” between racial groups “do not constitute proof that police treat people differently along demographic lines,” since there could be “countless other factors and circumstances” that go into the decision of whom to spread-eagle on the hood.

All right, those figures alone might not constitute “proof” of bias that would convince a jury beyond a reasonable doubt. They are pretty compelling, though, especially when you also consider that black and Hispanic drivers are much more likely to experience “police use of force” than whites.

And besides, the following paragraph in the report pretty effectively demolishes that “move along, folks, nothing to see here” disclaimer about bias:

“Police actions taken during a traffic stop were not uniform across racial and ethnic categories. Black drivers (4.5 percent) were twice as likely as white drivers (2.1 percent) to be arrested during a traffic stop, while Hispanic drivers (65 percent) were more likely than white (56.2 percent) or black (55.8 percent) drivers to receive a ticket. In addition, whites (9.7 percent) were more likely than Hispanics (5.9 percent) to receive a written warning, while whites (18.6 percent) were more likely than blacks (13.7 percent) to be verbally warned by police.”

More and more, this truth is harder to cover up, especially when numbers are there to help tell the story. Racial profiling is very real and, as more data is compiled, this only becomes more evident.

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