IDOT data shows black drivers 5x more likely to be stopped in Springfield

SPRINGFIELD, Ill. (WAND)- New data from the Illinois Department of Transportation shows black drivers in Springfield are five times more likely than white drivers to be stopped by police.

The ACLU is calling for changes to the way officers pull people over. But police said the tactics are working to reduce violent crime in the city.

"We had known at that time that we had already increased the number of traffic stops that we were doing, to reduce violent crime," Assistant Springfield Police Chief Josh Stuenkel told WAND News.

Assistant Chief Stuenkel said the SPD task force is working. Officers got a record number of illegal guns off the street last year, and shootings are down.

"Continued to see a drop in shooting numbers in 2022. Our gun recoveries are up, our firearms arrests are up, these things are keeping the violent crime down- and we need to continue in this path," Assistant Chief Stuenkel added.

But the ACLU of Springfield is concerned that when officers focus on certain neighborhoods, minorities are being targeted.

"That's my biggest concern- is that we're not overpolicing certain communities to find certain things," Ken Page, president of the Springfield ACLU told WAND News.

The data also shows, while black drivers are five times more likely to be pulled over, compared to white drivers- officers are less likely to write tickets or find contraband in black drivers' cars.

"Those searches are not yielding the contraband that we assume that the police department is looking for. So are these consent searches necessary?" Page asked.

Assistant Chief Stuenkel said officers are receiving bias training and are utilizing new technology, like license plate readers, that cut out the possibility of racial profiling.

"Our ALPR program, we made sure that program was enacted city-wide and not specific to any particular area," Assistant Chief Stuenkel said.

Page believes, tactics still need to shift, or racial disparities in traffic stops will not improve.

"For a city this size, Springfield is not very large, and for it to be 3, 4, 5 times higher the probability of being stopped- that's concerning to me as a person," Page added.

You can read the entire IDOT report here, including a breakdown of data for other cities throughout Illinois.