Black Chicago drivers more likely to be stopped by police than to get traffic camera tickets, study finds

June 10, 2024

Black drivers in Chicago are more likely to be stopped by police than issued tickets by traffic cameras, highlighting the role of racial bias in traffic stops, according to a new study.

The findings, published this month in the Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences, follow years of scrutiny of racial disparities in Chicago traffic stops.

They also come amid renewed debate about the use of the stops, as outgoing Cook County State’s Attorney Kim Foxx unveiled a controversial proposal to decline to prosecute possession cases when guns or drugs are found during traffic stops initiated for reasons like expired registration or a broken light. Officials also recently moved to add oversight of traffic stops to a federal consent decree guiding Chicago Police Department reform.

In the latest study, researchers from the University of Illinois at Chicago, Cornell University, Rutgers University and the University of Sydney in Australia analyzed GPS data from cellphones and 2019 data on traffic stops and speed camera tickets. They determined the racial makeup of drivers on the road, and compared that with the demographics of the people stopped or ticketed.

They found that on a street where half of drivers were white, the probability of a white driver getting a traffic camera ticket was just under 50%, while white drivers made up, on average, fewer than 20% of police stops…

The traffic stop study’s authors said automated cameras provided a more race-neutral comparison point. The study refutes arguments that perhaps Black drivers speed more than other drivers, pointing instead to human bias, said Michael Smart, a study author and urban planning and policy professor at Rutgers.

“(Bias is) not just a police issue,” he said, “But it’s especially acute among police because of the powers that police are given.”

Chicago Tribune, June 10, 2024

Recent Posts

Job Opportunity: Asst. Professor in Urban Planning

APPLY NOW AT https://jobs.rutgers.edu/postings/254087 The Edward J. Bloustein School of Planning and Public Policy (EJB) at Rutgers University-New Brunswick seeks to hire a full-time, tenure-track Assistant Professor for appointment beginning July 2026. Candidates...

“Work Trends RU” Podcast with Urban Institute’s Todd Greene

This week's guest on the Heldrich Center's Work Trends RU podcast is Todd Greene, Vice President of the Work, Education, and Labor Division at the Urban Institute and Executive Director of WorkRise. Todd is also Chair of the Heldrich Center's National Advisory Board....

NJ primary 2025: Results highlight weaker party machines

Several party-endorsed Assembly candidates lost. And the gubernatorial candidate endorsed by the county party lost in 10 counties The first state election with new ballots saw five party-endorsed Assembly candidates, an unusually large number, losing in last week’s...

Will Payne Maps NYC’s “Gourmet Gentrification” Trends

Mapping elite tastes along New York City’s gourmet gentrification frontier, 1990–2015 Abstract Urban researchers have long considered the spread of upscale amenities like restaurants, cafes and bars to be important symbolic indicators of gentrification, and recent...

Lessons from COVID-19: Students Can Thrive During Hardship

by Greg Bruno for Rutgers Today Rutgers researchers find that innovation, empathy and a commitment to diversity and inclusion are critical ingredients for educational attainment At Cedar Creek Elementary in Lacey Township, N.J., “Little Lion Helpers” serve as role...