The Association Between Race and Reason for Traffic Stop in Connecticut

by

Faculty Sponsor: Professor Kabacoff

Live Poster Session: https://wesleyan.zoom.us/j/93936104102

Calder Burke

I am a sophomore at Wesleyan pursuing a degree in Music Education and Government. Outside of the classroom, I run distance for the Wesleyan Cross Country and Track and Field teams, participate in various aspects of the Wesleyan musical world, such as the WESU Radio Station, and work for the Department of Residential Life. Additionally, I’m interested in transportation and urban policy.

Abstract: On average in the United States, decisions by police officers about which drivers to pull over are biased against black and Hispanic drivers (Pierson et al., 2020). In instances throughout the U.S., legislature has worked to curb these biased practices. In Philadelphia, for example, legislation forbidding police officers from stopping drivers for minor vehicle violations led to a 54% decrease in rate of traffic stops of black men for minor vehicle violations. My research examined the relationship between race and reason for traffic stop in the state of Connecticut, to identify possible incidences of bias in traffic stop practices in the state. My research revealed a statistically significant relationship between race of driver and reason for being stopped, and revealed that black drivers are more disproportionately stopped for defective lights, display of license plate, and tinted windows than drivers of any other race.

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