W E D N E S D A Y
March 27, 2024 Vol. 44, No. 39
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JOURNAL @oakpark
of Oak Park and River Forest
EASTER GUIDE Page 17
Oak Park police stop more Black individuals than white, data shows The racial disparity in traffic stops reflects a statewide issue By LUZANE DRAUGHON Staff Reporter
Best friend furever STORY BY AMARIS RODRIGUEZ, PAGE 13
TODD BANNOR
Katie Trame and her therapy dog, Chief, demonstrate why OPRF is celebrating five years of therapy dogs at the high school.
In 2022, Black drivers made up more than half of the 2,814 traffic stops Oak Park police officers conducted despite only making up about 19% of the population in the village. White individuals make up about 63% of the population in Oak Park, but are stopped only roughly a third of the time, according to to data from the Investigative Project on Race and Equity. Overall, traffic stops in Oak Park are down from a high of more than 13,000 in 2006 to 2,814 in 2022, the latest available year for data. However, Black drivers also were more likely to be issued a citation after the stop, the data shows. See TRAFFIC STOPS on page 6
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