LOUISVILLE, Ky. (WDRB) — The Louisville Metro Office of Inspector General called for immediate action Monday after internal records obtained by WDRB showed Louisville Metro Police Department officers searched Black drivers more than twice as often as white drivers last year and were less likely to find anything illegal when they did.
Louisville Inspector General Edward Harness’s office said in a statement the data is alarming.
“These findings are not merely statistical,” the OIG said in a news release Monday. “Each traffic stop and discretionary search represents a direct exercise of governmental authority against an individual. When one racial group accounts for a larger share of stops and is searched substantially more often, while those searches were less likely to uncover evidence supporting further enforcement action, LMPD must determine whether officer discretion, supervisory practices, enforcement strategies, or departmental policies are contributing to the disparities.”…