Are Wisconsin police officers guilty of racial profiling? Rich Kremer reports on an upcoming state effort to find answers.

Starting in 2011 all law enforcement agencies in Wisconsin will be required to collect racial data during traffic stops. The Office of Justice Assistance is hoping it will answer the question of whether minorities are targeted by police. American Civil Liberties Union of Wisconsin Director Chris Ahmuty is on the committee that will shape the new rule.

“There’s no doubt that it is happening, that there is biased policing going on in terms of the inappropriate use of race when making traffic stops and there’s no reason to believe that Wisconsin is different from anywhere else in the country where racial profiling has been found to happen.”

A 2002 study in Minnesota found that people of color were stopped more often. In fact, three and a half times as many Black drivers were stopped than whites, twice as many Latinos were stopped along with one and a quarter times as many Native Americans.

Ashland County Sheriff John Kovach says his department has been accused of harassing Native Americans in the past but their own records show that isn’t true. He believes racial profiling isn’t a problem.

“Maybe in other areas, if they’re having specific problems it might be something to look at but I think our northern counties are pretty good about who they stop and why they stop people.”

Washburn County Sheriff Terry Dryden says his deputies stop people because of violations and not because of race. He says the new rule amounts to another burden on law enforcement.

“The collection of the traffic data may seem very minor to a lot of the public and to the legislators but it is consuming time which costs money.”

News From Indian Country Managing Editor Paul DeMain says it’s normal for people to think there isn’t a problem even when there is.

“From my point of view that state doesn’t need it because people of color know that that’s happening. So, how do you react to it, through sensitivity training? I think the state of Wisconsin might need it in order to show people that think it’s not happening that it probably is happening.”

The Office of Justice Assistance is holding listening sessions at WITC campuses in Superior and Rice Lake on December 1 4-7 p.m. to hear what the public thinks about the traffic stop rule.

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