Latino and Black New Jerseyans Get More Traffic Tickets and Summonses

From [HERE] Hispanic and black drivers have been more likely than white drivers to be ticketed by New Jersey State Police troopers in the eight years since federal monitoring of the agency ended, according to the Stanford Open Policing Project’s data set covered in the Daily Record. Data from 2009 to 2016 revealed that Hispanic drivers were 28% more likely to receive tickets than white drivers when pulled over. In addition, white drivers were more likely than black drivers (46% vs. 41%) to receive a warning following a stop, rather than a summons.

Carmen Salavarrieta, the director of Angels for Action, suggested that Hispanics may receive summonses at higher rates because some are prohibited from having a driver’s license due to their immigration status. Gov. Chris Christie has opposed creating a system for issuing licenses for undocumented immigrants, a reform that Salavarrieta hopes the next governor will support. The Stanford Open Policing Project has 130 million records from 31 state police agencies across the country. 

Racial Disparity in New Jersey Marijuana Arrests

From 19,607 arrests in 2000 to 24,067 in 2013, New Jersey police are making more marijuana possession arrests than ever before and racial disparities in the state’s marijuana arrests are at an all-time high, according to the American Civil Liberties Union of New Jersey. Black New Jerseyans were arrested for marijuana possession about three times as often as whites in 2013, despite marijuana use being similar among racial groups. In some small towns, blacks are arrested 25 to 30 times as often as whites for this offense, reports Philly.com. This report comes at a time when the New Jersey legislature is considering legalizing recreational use of marijuana, though it does not have support from Gov. Chris Christie.