As in Ferguson and other communities, the latest numbers show that black drivers in Jefferson City are more likely to be stopped and subsequently arrested than their white counterparts. But unlike the cases in Ferguson, the percentages of stops more closely reflects the region's population, local law enforcement officials say.
A Justice Department investigation of the Ferguson Police Department that began in September found patterns of racial profiling, bigotry and profit-driven law enforcement and court practices. The report concluded that, over the past two years, African-Americans made up about two-thirds of the city's population but accounted for 85 percent of traffic stops, 90 percent of citations, 93 percent of arrests and 88 percent of cases in which the police used force.
The Mid-Missouri report comes from 2013 statistics, which are the most recent. Jefferson City's most current "racial profiling" report won't be available until the end of May.
Officials submitted the local numbers to Missouri Attorney General Chris Koster's office at the beginning of March. Officials with the attorney general's office said their final, statewide report on racial profiling on 2014 traffic stops will come out around Memorial Day.
But, looking back to 2013 statistics, local law enforcement officials said stops in Mid-Missouri reflect the region's population.
In the 2010 U.S. Census, Jefferson City's population was 78.5 percent white, 16.3 percent black and 2 percent Hispanic.
In 2013, the Jefferson City Police Department made 11,221 traffic stops with 8,458 involving white drivers (75.38 percent), 2,486 black drivers (22.15 percent) and 119 Hispanic drivers (1.06 percent).
Of the 330 arrests made from those stops, 172 (52.12 percent) of those were white drivers, 151 (45.76 percent) were black and 4 (1.21 percent) were Hispanic.
"We, as an organization, pay attention to those figures and follow very closely to what is mandated within the statute," Jefferson City Police Chief Roger Schroeder said. "We review these statistics and, if we feel there are some training requirements or improvements to be made in how we police our city, we certainly administer those remedies."
The outcomes of the stops made by Jefferson City police resulted in 5,320 citations issued and 6,591 warnings given out.
The arrest rate was: 2 percent for white drivers, 6 percent for black drivers and 3.3 percent for Hispanic drivers.
More males (6,068) were pulled over than females (5,153).
The majority of the stops involved drivers who were 18-29 years old.
Cole County's population was 84.6 percent white, nearly 11 percent black and nearly 2 percent Hispanic in 2010.
For the Cole County Sheriff's Department, there were 2,690 stops made by deputies in 2013 involving 2,316 (86.10 percent) white drivers, 272 (10.11 percent) black drivers and 47 (1.75 percent) Hispanic drivers.
"I think, simply put, the results balance out real well," Cole County Sheriff Greg White said.
Of the 177 arrests deputies made in 2013, 139 (78.53 percent) were white drivers, 27 (15.25 percent) were black drivers and 10 (5.65 percent) were Hispanic.
The arrest rate was 6 percent for white drivers, nearly 10 percent for black drivers and 21 percent for Hispanic drivers.
When deputies made stops, 337 resulted in a citation being issued and 2,387 warnings were given out.
There were 1,684 males stopped and 1,006 females. Most were between the ages of 18-29.
"We know one can't draw conclusions from raw statistics," Schroeder said. "We have to continue to work to be conscientious and to be fair."