Minneapolis: Metro Transit Police More Likely to Ticket Minorities, Study Finds

Metro Transit police have stopped ticketing for first-time fare evasion in reaction to a study showing that whites were more likely than blacks and American Indians to get off with a warning when caught riding without paying.

Metro Transit conducted the study after the American Civil Liberties Union requested citation and arrest data from the agency. The study found that serious crimes are enforced consistently across racial groups, but enforcement of less-serious crimes, such as fare evasion, tends to hit black and American Indian riders disproportionately.

Transit officials announced the study results Thursday and promised to get to the bottom of the apparent racial bias.

"We're taking this very seriously," said Metro Transit Police Chief John Harrington. "We took a look at the data early on and I didn't have any easy or facile responses to how this could happen."

The study analyzed two sets of data, according to Metro Transit. ......................(more)

http://www.masstransitmag.com/news/12151286/metro-transit-police-more-likely-to-ticket-minorities-study-finds