Let facts guide Davenport racial discussions

By Quad-City Times

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The shooting death of Trayvon Martin is making everyone think - and many offer opinions - about a provocative question far older than the slain 17-year-old: Are some Americans perceived as criminal threats primarily because of their ethnicity?

Evidence abounds that the answer was “yes” in our nation for far too long. In Davenport, questions about racial perceptions on law enforcement are being asked and answered without a criminal trial and without much fanfare. Police officers asked these questions of themselves every time they participated in a St. Ambrose University professor's study. On more than 15,000 traffic stops over the past two years, police logged race and gender of the driver of every stopped vehicle, along with the location, reason and outcome. At the same time, volunteers at 29 locations observed race of drivers at different times. Data observed from 16,500 vehicles and drawn from census tracks is being compared to police reports to discern any trends or patterns.

Professor Chris Barnum told city council members about the study Thursday, bringing them up to speed on an effort launched by central Davenport neighborhood leaders, the city's Civil Rights Commission and welcomed by the police department.

Barnum stressed that much more analysis is needed, but said data initially shows:

- Odds are 1.28 times greater that a white driver who is stopped will be ticketed, compared to a black driver.

- Odds are 1.75 times greater that a black driver will be arrested during a traffic stop, compared to a white driver.

- Odds are 2.21 times greater that a black driver will be asked for consent to search the vehicle.

These important findings are getting closer scrutiny and we're among those anticipating the final report. When it comes, it will be in response to a community of central-city leaders who wanted accurate data, not just anecdotes, to lead this important discussion. It will inform a Civil Rights Commission that partnered with a St. Ambrose professor for a detailed analysis at no cost to the city. And it will be used by a police department that not only welcomed the scrutiny, but participated in the data collection for 21 months.

Notably, it won't be needed in any criminal trial around here. It's not offered as a response to civil litigation or to quell angry protesters.

Instead, our expectation is that this community-initiated university study will solve problems by improving police work, strengthening community relations and building dialogue based not on impressions, accusations or historical recollection, but on hard data.