Study: No intentional racial bias in WSP traffic stops

PULLMAN, Wash. (AP) — A study from Washington State University found no intentional racial bias in traffic stops by the Washington State Patrol, however it noted disparities in traffic stops involving Black and Hispanic drivers. KOMO reports the study conducted by WSU’s Division of Governmental Studies and Services analyzed more than 7 million contacts with state patrol troopers over five years. The team compared stops with census data, the statewide driving population, and other measures. They say from this data, they found no evidence of intentional racial bias. Researchers say that traffic data shows that white motorists were stopped at nearly the same rate statewide as their proportion of the population. They did find that Black motorists are stopped more often compared to their statewide population.