Black drivers were pulled over at a higher rate than white drivers in 2024, according to an annual report released by the attorney general Thursday. The ratio is consistent with reports released in previous years.
Even though Black drivers only make up around 11% of the state's population, they were pulled over by law enforcement nearly two times as much as white drivers.
But law enforcement officers across Missouri reportedly found white drivers had contraband on them more often than Black drivers.
The Missouri State Highway Patrol specifically arrested black drivers at a rate three times higher than white drivers. The patrol's stop rate was similar between white and black drivers.
In Columbia, the disparity in traffic stops increases. Columbia police officers pulled over Black drivers four times as much as white drivers. And similar to state-wide statistics, white drivers in Columbia were found with contraband at a higher rate than Black drivers.
Columbia police arrested Black drivers two times more than they did white drivers.
Jefferson City police pulled over Black drivers twice as much as white drivers in the past year.
Similar to Columbia, the Boone County Sheriff's deputies pulled over Black drivers at a rate four times higher than they did white drivers. Deputies also arrested two times as many black drivers than white drivers.
This year's state-wide statistics are similar to last year's vehicle stops report, where Black Missouri drivers were also pulled over nearly twice as much as white Missouri drivers.
The rate of Black drivers pulled over across the state decreased in 2024 in comparison to the year before, from 44 to 41.
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