January 30, 2007

MPD Releases Study on Racial and Ethnic Profiling (cont.)

Concerned about the possibility of biased policing in the District, OPC issued a report and set of recommendations in January 2002 urging MPD to collect and analyze traffic stop data.

In September 2004, the Police Foundation released its own report. Among other findings, the report revealed that 72 percent of the African-American respondents and 68 percent of the Latino respondents believed that “police are more likely to stop non-whites for traffic violations.”

Because OPC is independent of MPD, OPC retained its own consultant to assess the MPD study. “Our consultant, Dr. Lorie Fridell, has produced a report commenting on the study,” said Philip K. Eure, OPC’s executive director. “In her report, Dr. Fridell has also put together a set of forward-looking recommendations to address the issue of biased policing in the District. We hope that MPD will collaborate with our office and other participants of the Biased Policing Task Force to build upon the contributions of MPD’s study and Dr. Fridell’s report.”

Dr. Fridell is a social scientist, university professor, and former director of research for the Police Executive Research Forum (PERF), a law enforcement research organization. She is also a nationally recognized expert on racial profiling.

A copy of Dr. Fridell’s report, which is being released today, is available on OPC’s website:

• Biased Policing Project: A Review of the Vehicle/Pedestrian Stop Study & Recommendations for Next Steps* 

• Data Collection and Benchmarking of the Biased Policing Project*
  Final Report for the Metropolitan Poilce Department in the District of Columbia  
• Biased Policing Project Report, Metropolitan Police Department, Washington, DC* 
  The Police Foundation

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