And minorities were searched at a higher rate than white motorists, even though a higher percentage of whites were caught with contraband, the report said. Patrol Chief Annette Sandberg, who presented the findings to the Senate panel, said the statistics are being analyzed further by researchers at eight universities. Lawmakers and others praised Sandberg for taking a lead on the issue of racial profiling - the illegal use of race as a factor in deciding to question, arrest or search a person. They said her report, along with traffic ticket data provided recently by the Seattle and Tacoma police departments, should increase support for requiring local police agencies to collect the same data. The issue continues to meet some resistance from the Washington Association of Sheriffs and Police Chiefs, which has condemned racial profiling but says local law enforcement agencies lack the staff and equipment to conduct such studies.
Cost estimates vary.
The Judiciary Committee took no action Monday. Click here to send your ideas to The Sun.