ACLU calls on Justice Department to end racially biased searches by Illinois State Police

Source: Raw Story
By Eric W. Dolan

The American Civil Liberties Union of Illinois filed an administrative complaint with the U.S. Department of Justice on Tuesday, calling for an investigation into alleged persistent racial bias in consent searches conducted by Illinois State Police (ISP) troopers.

Data collected under the Illinois Traffic Stop Statistical Study Act of 2003 reveals that Illinois troopers are more likely to ask Hispanic and African American motorists for consent to search their vehicles, even though they are more likely to find illegal contraband when searching a car driven by a Caucasian.

"Years of data make clear that consent searches by the ISP are conducted in a racially disparate manner," said Harvey Grossman, legal director for the ACLU of Illinois.

Hispanic drivers were 2.7 to 4.0 times more likely to be consent searched, which occurs when officers do not have legally sufficient cause to search a vehicle, but instead ask the driver for permission to conduct a search. African Americans drivers were 1.8 to 3.2 times more likely than white drivers to be consent searched.

More at: http://www.rawstory.com/rs/2011/06/07/aclu-calls-on-justice-department-to-end-racially-biased-searches-by-illinois-state-police/