A recent study from the University of Missouri documented the depth of racial profiling in Columbia, Missouri. Joplin Police Chief Sloan Rowland spoke about trying to prevent profiling during the monthly meeting of the southwest Missouri Democrats. Wednesday. KRPS’s Fred Fletcher-Fierro has more.
The MU study released in July of 2021 showed that Columbia Police officers overwhelmingly pulled Black drivers over compared to other races. In one Columbia police beat, where 3% of the population is African American, they comprised one-quarter of police stops.
The examination collected data from 2017 to 2019 and also found that stops of Black drivers were more likely to result in searches and arrests. Joplin Police Chief Sloan Rowland speaking Wednesday, says that his officers go out of their way to treat drivers they pull over fairly.
“So he’s worried at 2 a.m. when he gets stopped. I need to understand, as a police officer, that’s a rightful fear for him. You know he’s not hiding something; there is nothing, maybe not going on there at all. But I have to understand that response from him and train my officers to act accordingly.”
Chief Rowland said that new officers in Joplin receive a minimum of 48 weeks of training before working independently in the community. For 89 9 KRPS News, I’m Fred Fletcher-Fierro
