The latest data from the Missouri attorney general show Black motorists are pulled over, ticketed and arrested at higher rates than white drivers. It’s a trend that has been ongoing for more than 20 years.
Missouri traffic stops declined significantly in 2020 during the coronavirus pandemic as stay-at-home orders were in effect. But the state Attorney General's Vehicle Stops Report shows African American drivers were 71% more likely to be pulled over by Missouri police officers last year than white drivers.
mandating mental health evaluations for police officers
But will it work?
The I-Team took the question to the experts at the University of Missouri-St. Louis and St. Louis University.
Focused Deterrence
All of the criminology professors lauded Jones’ focused deterrence policing approach.
It’s a program that offers social service programs to the most at-risk offenders depending on their needs, such as drug rehabilitation, job training or educational opportunities. But it’s also mandatory.
Refusal to participate means the city will bring every legal strategy it can against that person should they re-offend.
Boston’s Ceasefire program and St. Louis’ own Project Safe Neighborhoods strategy in the mid-2000s are examples of focused deterrence programs, said Joseph Shafer, St. Louis University’s Associate Dean of Research for the College of Public Health and Social Justice.