Michigan State Police report on disparities in traffic stops just the beginning in addressing the problem, says civil rights leader

An independent study conducted by Michigan State University researchers found that Black drivers are pulled over more than any other racial group in the state. The results also showed Black and Hispanic drivers are more likely than White and Asian drivers to be arrested after a traffic stop. 

Michigan State Police Director Col. Joe Gasper says the department will hire an outside consulting firm to address and recommend changes regarding racial disparities.  Col. Gasper said in a statement, “Michiganders deserve unbiased policing, transparency, and accountability from their state police and that’s what they’re going to get.”

“This is just initial steps, in terms of uncovering the problem and pulling the sort of like a scab off of the wound, but also an opportunity to make sure that those who are perpetuating these racial disparities are also made accountable for their actions.” —John E. Johnson Jr., Michigan Department of Civil Rights

A five-point response plan was also announced as a way to get the conversation to action. Hiring an independent firm is one part, as well as issuing body cameras to all enforcement members, making more MSP data available to the public, and ramping up educational opportunities for deputies. 

John E. Johnson Jr. is the executive director of the Michigan Department of Civil Rights. He says this is a good start to open the conversation that frankly most Black people and people of color have been talking about for decades regarding relationships between police and communities of color. “I applaud Col. Gasper for commissioning the study, and even more so for even releasing its results that shows his boldness and transparency in the leadership of that department.” 

Johnson says releasing the information and making a pledge will help begin to build a foundation between police and the public. “He and I agree that this is just initial steps, in terms of uncovering the problem and pulling the sort of like a scab off of the wound, but also an opportunity to make sure that those who are perpetuating these racial disparities are also made accountable for their actions.”

Listen: Executive Director of the Michigan Department of Civil Rights John E. Johnson on what the report means going forward.

Johnson says the numbers speak for themselves and show that “racism is still alive and well, in our society, and to some degree institutionalized.”

The data is from 2020, a time when many people were sheltering in place due to the pandemic.

“It does show me the propensity of Michigan State Police officers, even during a pandemic, when there weren’t many people on the road to still racially profile drivers of color. So that’s even more disturbing,” he says.

Johnson says the Department of Civil Rights has offered assistance and its experts in implicit bias and cultural competency to help with training, but “training means nothing if you don’t have the wherewithal and the willpower” to address systemic racism.

“Behavior must be modified,”Johnson says. “And the first step to behavior modification is recognizing one’s behavior has to be modified. So it’s a mindset. The officers have to come to a realization that they must change their ways and internalize that.”

Johnson says he hopes this leads to other law enforcement leaders examining their own departments.

“We also hope that the study that’s been released by the Michigan State Police may encourage other law enforcement agencies to do their own internal audit, so they can see for themselves perhaps what’s going on in their own backyard.”