A new state report has found evidence of a racial disparity in the number of traffic stops made by Oregon State Police and suggests Latino drivers may be more likely to be cited than white drivers by Salem Police.
Oregon law requires law enforcement agencies to submit data each year about officer-initiated traffic and pedestrian stops to the Oregon Criminal Justice Commission to analyze for evidence of racial or ethnic disparities. This report, analyzing data from July 1, 2023, to June 30, 2024, is the sixth the commission has completed. Some analysis included 2022 as well, to account for small sample sizes.
The report described Oregon’s STOP program, which stands for Statistical Transparency of Policing, as “one of the most robust” in the country.
Salem Police conducted 3,448 traffic stops and 231 pedestrian stops between July 2023 and June 2024, according to a new report from the Oregon Criminal Justice Commission.
Salem Police conducted 3,448 traffic stops and 231 pedestrian stops during the period covered by the report. Salem Police made pedestrian stops at a higher rate than any other agency in the state. OSP made 213,737 stops, which accounted for a third of all stops statewide.
The report looks at officer-initiated stops which involve discretion, rather than responses to calls. Law enforcement officers are required by Oregon law to record their perception of a person’s race or ethnicity when conducting a stop.
The report found almost 30% of the people stopped by Salem Police were Latino, although Latino individuals comprise about 23% of the population in Salem, according to U.S. Census data. Black people, who make up about 1.6% of Salem residents, comprised 2.3% of stops.
However, the report said researchers consider population-based benchmarks to be an unhelpful variable.
“Benchmarks are both intuitive and relatively simple to calculate, but the comparisons that result are overly simplistic and often biased or invalid,” the report said.
One reason for this is because commuting and tourism, among other factors, mean that individuals driving in a particular area don’t necessarily correlate to the residential population.
The commission instead analyzes three other variables. An agency will be identified as requiring further analysis if it shows a statistically significant racial or ethnic disparity in at least two of these tests. The commission identified OSP in its report as one of three agencies that met that standard.
‘Decision to stop’ analysis: No significant difference in rate Salem Police, Oregon State Police stopped people of color in daylight vs. darkness
The “decision to stop” analysis compares the rates at which minority individuals are stopped during the day versus at night, with the assumption being that race is more difficult to discern in darkness. If minority individuals are more likely to be stopped during the day, that suggests evidence of a disparity.
The commission did not find a statistically significant difference in the rate at which Salem Police or Oregon State Police stopped people of color in daylight compared to darkness.
A new report from the Oregon Criminal Justice Commission found Oregon State Police had a statistically significant rate for citing, searching and arresting minorities between July 2023 and June 2024.
‘Stop outcome’ analysis: Oregon State Police has statistically significant rate for citing, searching and arresting minorities
The “stop outcome” analysis analyzes disparities in potential traffic stop outcomes, like citations, searches or arrests. If, when controlling for other factors like reason for the stop, minority individuals are cited, searched or arrested more often than white individuals, that suggests evidence of a disparity.
The report found Salem Police were more likely to issue citations to Latino drivers than expected, suggesting a disparity.
However, the report also factors in “low-discretion” offenses, such as driving without a license or having an outstanding warrant. When a stop involves one of these, the officer could be held liable if they allow the person to continue driving after making the stop and the officer’s individual ability to use discretion about the outcome is limited.
When controlling for “low-discretion” offenses, the report found Salem Police’s increased likelihood to cite Latino drivers became statistically insignificant.
“I take the annual STOP reports seriously and as stated in our strategic plan, identifying and addressing disparate outcomes is a departmental priority,” Police Chief Trevor Womack said in an email to the Statesman Journal. “Each year, we contribute our data and pay close attention to the resulting STOP reports, and proactively share them online for full transparency.”
OSP, however, had a statistically significant disproportionate rate for citing, searching and arresting people from all minority groups. Polk County also reported issuing citations to Latino drivers at an elevated rate.
‘Search finding’ analysis: Oregon State Police sees disparity in search success for white vs. Latino people
The “search finding” analysis compares the number of searches that result in seizure of contraband across racial and ethnic groups. If the searches of non-white people are significantly less likely to result in seizure, that suggests evidence of a disparity.
OSP was the only agency the report found to have a significant disparity in this analysis, with 61% search success for white people and 54.9% for Latino people.
OSP spokesperson Capt. Kyle Kennedy said the agency is aware of the findings and has been working with the commission and with the Department of Public Safety Standards and Training to review the data and consider possible factors contributing to the outcomes.
He said a focused enforcement partnership with the Portland Central City Task Force that began in October 2023 is a “primary driver” of the findings.
“OSP focused on policing open-air drug markets, targeting drug dealers and public use, yielding an increase in offenses related to fentanyl possession and delivery,” Kennedy said in an email. “These stops were primarily pedestrian stops with a higher search rate due to the nature of the offense.”
OSP will continue reviewing the data and training materials from the STOP program, he said.
Isabel Funk covers breaking news and public safety for the Statesman Journal. Funk can be reached at ifunk@statesmanjournal.com or on X at @isabeldfunk
This article originally appeared on Salem Statesman Journal: Report finds racial disparity in Oregon State Police traffic stops
