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Black drivers are more likely to be pulled over than white drivers in Virginia, new report states

The data finds Black drivers made up 30% of traffic stops, despite only being 19% of licensed state drivers.

VIRGINIA BEACH, Va. — A new report from the Virginia Department of Criminal Justice found Black and Hispanic drivers are disproportionally pulled over, in comparison to other groups.

The data finds Black drivers made up 30% of traffic stops, despite only being 19% of licensed state drivers.

"It's alarming, but I would not say surprising," said Dr. Eric Majette, President of Virginia Beach NAACP.

The report analyzed more than 650,000 traffic stops in the past year. Despite the number of police searches and arrests going down across the state, this number was not reflected in groups with Black and Hispanic drivers.

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. 

Dr. Eric Majette said while all groups of people should follow traffic laws, he would like there to be more transparency when it comes to pulling drivers over.

"We are committed to work with law enforcement agencies, we are committed to help determine some of the issues and get the information out and work alongside the law," said Majette.

The authors of the report cautioned against drawing any firm conclusions about why these disparities exist. They cited several external factors as possible reasons. 

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