Vermont traffic stops dropped 40% in 2020 to their lowest rate in years, led by pandemic-related changes in how police officers did their jobs.But the longstanding gap between Black and white drivers remained in place that year, despite efforts by.
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Vermont is overpoliced, and more so every year. That statement may be surprising or even jarring to some, but it is based on a growing body of data collected by Vermont police themselves.
UVM Professor Stephanie Seguino, along with Professor Nancy Brooks and data analyst Pat Autilio, have reviewed that data, and their findings are alarming.
Specifically, Vermont drivers are subjected to a large and growing number of traffic stops â at a rate far above the national average. From 2015 to 2019, police in Vermont stopped motorists at nearly three times the national average â 255 drivers stopped per 1,000 residents, compared to 86 drivers per 1,000 residents nationally.
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IMAGE: University of Vermont Economics professor Stephanie Seguino is co-author of the new study that shows widespread racial bias persists among Vermont police departments after examining more than 800,000 vehicular stops. view more
Credit: Ian Thomas Jansen-Lonnquist
New research examining more than 800,000 traffic stops in Vermont over the course of five years substantiates the term driving while Black and Brown.
Compared to white drivers, Black and Latinx drivers in Vermont are more likely to be stopped, ticketed, arrested, and searched. But they are less likely to be found with contraband than white drivers. The report finds evidence not only of racial disparities but also racial bias in policing. What s more, a number of these gaps widened over the years examined in the report. With such comprehensive data encompassing the state of Vermont, the authors also found that Vermont police stop cars at a rate of 255 per 1,000 residents, which is more than thr
Examining more than 800,000 police stops in Vermont between 2014 to 2019, researchers confirm that Vermont authorities stop, ticket, arrest and search Black drivers at a rate far beyond their share of the state s total driving population.