ST. LOUIS, MO. -- Attorney General Chris Koster released the 10th annual Traffic Stops report Tuesday.
The statewide data indicates that black motorists in Missouri were 70 percent more likely than white drivers to be stopped by police last year -- and twice as likely as Hispanic drivers.
The figures compare the racial breakdown of Missouri’s driving-age population to the racial composition of drivers in 1.7 million traffic stops made by 642 law enforcement agencies.
Koster said the disparity for black drivers has risen in nine out of the 10 annual reports.
"A high number does not conclude that racial profiling exists, but it is cause for additional inquiry,” Koster said. “A low number, by the same token, does not conclude an absence of racial profiling, but it does indicate less of a cause for concern.”
Traffic stops for black motorists remain disproportionately high in both Jefferson City and Columbia.
But whereas the gap got wider between 2008 and 2009 in Jefferson City, it got slightly narrower in Columbia.
After the passage of state law, enacted on Aug. 28, 2000, the attorney general is required to compile the traffic stop data and report it to the governor no later than June 1.
Agencies that do not report their traffic stop information can lose state funding.
Koster is expected to hold a press conference in Jefferson City to discuss more about the results.
Click here to see the how your local law enforcement agencies did with racial disparity.
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