WHEELING - A 2009 study shows that African-Americans in West Virginia are more likely to be stopped by police than are white drivers.
Statistics on racial profiling in the state were presented Thursday as part of a "Know Your Rights" forum at West Virginia Northern Community College. It was sponsored by the West Virginia branch of the American Civil Liberties Union.
Matthew Bova - a law student and intern with the ACLU-WV - told those present that a study of arrests and racial profiling resulted following a required study of police actions.
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Diana Bell, a member of the Wheeling Human Rights Commission, addresses a forum on racial profiling sponsored by the American Civil Liberties Union on Thursday.
The Racial Profiling and Data Collections Act, passed by the West Virginia Legislature in 2004, required officers to note the type of violation the vehicle was stopped for and whether the officers issued a citation, warning or took no action. They also had to note the time and day of each stop, how long the stop lasted and the patrol area and county where the stop occurred.
Results of the study were released in February, and Bova said it revealed some telling results:
In West Virginia, black drivers were found to be 1.64 times more likely to be stopped by officers than white drivers; and Hispanics, 1.48 times more likely.
Black and Hispanic drivers also were found to more often be searched by officers after being stopped. Blacks were searched 2.45 times more often than whites; and Hispanics, 2.37 times.
Statistics showed that illegal items were found in the cars searched owned by white drivers 47.17 percent of the time; blacks, 43.11 percent; and Hispanics, 30.23 percent.
Statistics for arrests specifically by the Wheeling Police Department also were presented.
In Wheeling, blacks were found to be stopped by police 1.71 times more often that whites, and they were 2.2 times more likely to be searched after being stopped, according to the data.
The number of times illegal items were found in cars driven by whites and blacks in Wheeling was equal.
The racial profiling numbers in some other cities throughout West Virginia were higher than those in Wheeling.
For example, in Parkersburg blacks were found to be 2.1 times more likely to be stopped by police than whites. And in Charleston, blacks were 4.92 times more likely to be searched than whites.
Bova noted that some might speculate that blacks are stopped at higher rates because they are more apt to use illegal drugs. More statistics, though, show this is not the case.
He cited figures from the 2008 U.S. Department of Health and Human Services National Study on Drug Use showing that the drug abuse rate for whites is 9 percent; for blacks, 8.8 percent; and for Hispanics, 9.5 percent.
Minorities comprise 5 percent of West Virginia's population, though they account for 38.3 percent of those incarcerated, according to a 2002 report from the Human Rights Watch.
And in 2006, African-Americans comprised 21 percent of all those arrested on drug charges in West Virginia, though they account for 3.2 percent of the population in the state.
From 7-9 p.m. Tuesday, YWCA-Racial Justice, the Wheeling Human Rights Commission and the Martin Luther King Committee will sponsor a town hall meeting titled "Calling for a Better Wheeling."
The event will take place in the Troy Theater at Wheeling Jesuit University and will feature panelists from local government, law enforcement, clergy, education and the community.