National Justice Database Study Findings

September 23, 2021, 6 PM is the Virtual Town Hall to review the findings

Method

CPE analyzed pedestrian stops, vehicle stops, and use of force data from 2012 to 2019 that were provided by the SLMPD, to examine whether Black and Brown communities experience frequent or burdensome police contact at a greater rate than other groups.

Key Findings

• The number of use of force incidents per year decreased 18.2 percent between 2012 and 2019.
• Black people were subjected to force 4.3 times as often as White people per year.
• After accounting for crime rates, poverty rates, and neighborhood demographics, Black people were subjected to force 3.3 times as often per resident as White people.
• Black people, who make up 47.5 percent of the population of the City of St. Louis, made up 65.4 percent of all drivers stopped in the report period.
• White people, who make up 42.9 percent of the population of the City of St. Louis, made up 32.3 percent of all drivers stopped in the report period.
• The total number of pedestrian stops per year decreased 82 percent between 2012 and 2019.
• Black pedestrians were stopped 2.3 times as often as White pedestrians per year on average.

The report also found that neighborhood characteristics played a significant role in shaping racial disparities in pedestrian stops. For instance, in neighborhoods with average crime and poverty rates, Black and White pedestrians were stopped at the same rates. In neighborhoods
with less poverty, Black pedestrians were more likely than White pedestrians to be stopped.