VIRGINIA BEACH, Va. — New statewide traffic data shows disparities in the rate of stops involving Black people in Hampton Roads in comparison to how many live in local communities.
In 2020, Virginia State Police began collecting traffic stop data from police departments across the Commonwealth as part of the Community Policing Act.
In Virginia Beach, police department leaders recently shared data showing 41% of traffic stops in 2022 involved Black people, though the demographic makes up 18% of the city’s population.
The data finds 54% of stops involved white people, who comprise 64% of the city’s population.
A Virginia Beach police spokesperson called the data breakdown an “incredibly complex issue that rarely aligns with the proportionality of a community.” She added more than 11 million people visit the resort city annually, which impacts the number.
However, city data also reveals when only considering stops involving Virginia Beach residents (19,497 in total), Black people made up 35% (6,728) which is nearly double the percentage of the city’s demographic.
Virginia Beach NAACP President Dr. Eric Majette said he had questions and concerns about the findings.
“Of course we, as the local NAACP, we want to make sure that people, especially Black people, are treated fairly,” Majette said.
The police spokesperson also said to keep in mind, the data reflects the department's focus on areas where there are a high number of calls for service.
“Traffic stops and traffic enforcement correlate to where we focus our efforts – geographic areas where there are a high number of reported offenses and calls for service that place our officers in those locations due to community reports, complaints, and concerns,” the statement read.
However, the trend is not unique to Virginia Beach. Across the region, data shows higher percentages of Black people pulled over than those living in that perspective city.
Virginia Beach Police Department policy prohibits officers from enforcing traffic laws with regard to race and national origin, among other factors, and it requires all officers to receive annual training on biased policing.
Majette said he would like to see the department undergo further training, and he believes trends will get better in his city.
According to data compiled by Virginia State Police, Black drivers make up 30% of all traffic stops statewide, while making up 20% of the population.
In Norfolk, Black drivers made up 68% of stops in 2022, while most recent census data shows they make up 40% of the population. Data shows 29% of those stops were white drivers, who comprise 45% of the city’s population.
In Hampton, 71% of drivers were Black, compared to 49% of the population. In Chesapeake, data show 61% of drivers are Black against 30% of the population. Suffolk experienced 65% of traffic stops involving Black drivers with 41% of the demographic. Portsmouth showed 66% of traffic stops are Black while making up 52% of the population.