CHICAGO – Police in Illinois conducted nearly 200,000 more traffic stops in 2023 compared to the previous year. The 12% increase in traffic stops means that more than 500 motorists in Illinois were stopped for each day of 2023 compared to 2022. Longstanding racial disparities persisted, with Black and Latino drivers stopped at higher rates than white drivers in almost all localities. The Illinois Department of Transportation (IDOT) released its Traffic Stop Study Act Report for 2023 on July 1, 2024, based on data that every law enforcement agency in the state is supposed to report annually, although about 20% of agencies failed to submit the required data for 2023.
New this year, IDOT analyzed individual drivers who were stopped multiple times in 2023, finding that Black drivers were about three times more likely to be stopped a total of two to ten times, and nine times more likely to be stopped more than 10 times compared to white drivers who were stopped.
The data suggests that many of the stops of Black drivers are pretextual “fishing expeditions” to search for evidence of unrelated crimes based on racial stereotypes, not to enforce road safety. Police were more likely to stop Black drivers for suspected equipment and registration violations, while white drivers were stopped more often for moving violations. And Black motorists are less likely to be cited for these violations than their white counterparts.
The IDOT data also shows that racially disparate stops are not effective at fighting crime. Statewide, more than 97% of all stops of Black drivers, and more than 98% of all stops of Latino drivers, did not result in police finding any contraband. The minuscule contraband recovery rates have remained consistently low for years.
“With 20 years of data reflecting ongoing racial and ethnic disparities in traffic stops, localities in Illinois can no longer ignore this problem. Police departments’ refusal to remedy these unjustified disparities amounts to intentional discrimination,” said Alexandra Block, director of the Criminal Legal System and Policing Project at the ACLU of Illinois. “This reality should cause public officials at the state and local level to convene a public discussion about how to fix the persistent biases in traffic stops.”
The IDOT report demonstrates that, statewide, police officers stop Black drivers at 1.7 times the rate of white drivers. For Latino drivers, the rate is 1.11 times. Beneath the statewide numbers, many communities across the state saw much wider disparities for Black and Latino drivers. For example:
- In Aurora, Black drivers were 4.1 times more likely to be stopped than white motorists, and Latino drivers were 2.4 times more likely to be stopped than white drivers;
- Belleville police were four times more likely to stop Black drivers than white drivers;
- In Bloomington, Black drivers were more than 4 times more likely to be stopped than white drivers, while Latino drivers were 2.7 times more likely to be stopped than white drivers;
- Champaign police stopped Black drivers at a rate 6 times higher than white drivers and Latino drivers were 2.5 times more likely to be stopped than white drivers;
- Danville police stopped Black drivers at a rate nearly 5 times higher than white drivers;
- In Kankakee, police stopped Black drivers at a rate 5.5 times higher than white drivers;
- In Naperville, Black drivers are nearly 4.5 times more likely to be stopped when compared to white drivers, and Latino drivers are 1.6 times more likely to be stopped than white drivers;
- Peoria police stopped Black drivers 5.4 times more often than white drivers, and Latino drivers were nearly 2 times more likely to be stopped than white drivers;
- In Springfield, the state capitol, Black motorists were 5.7 more likely to be stopped than white drivers; and,
- In Urbana, police stopped Black drivers at a rate 5.5 times higher than white drivers and Latino drivers were 2.7 times more likely to be stopped compared to white drivers.
“Sadly, the story remains the same,” added Block. “Black and Latino drivers continue to be more likely to be stopped at a higher rate in many communities around Illinois. Nothing has changed. The embarrassment, humiliation and disruption caused by thousands of unnecessary stops of Black and Latino drivers continues to waste police resources and create resentment between the police and the communities they serve – all without enhancing public safety or reducing crashes.”
“With the number of traffic stops escalating, it is time for serious action to fix their disproportionate burden on Black and Latino drivers in Illinois.”