JOLIET — After studying seven years of traffic stops, arrests and use of force reports, the Illinois Attorney General’s Office has concluded in its 158-page report that the Joliet Police Department discriminates against Black people, particularly Black men, and “JPD’s enforcement may also violate the rights of Latino people.”
“For Black people, the disparities are heightened when the enforcement action is discretionary: JPD officers more frequently arrest Black people compared with White people engaging in the same conduct,” the AG’s report showed. “Our analysis suggests that this disparate enforcement is at least in part the result of racial bias. In addition, our investigation found other evidence of intentional discrimination against Black and Latino people. This evidence includes the use of racially derogatory language both toward members of the public and within JPD, as well as JPD’s failure to hold officers and supervisors accountable for racially biased conduct.”
The community feels the Joliet Police Department’s bias and that has degraded the relationship between the police department and the people they serve, the AG’s office pointed out.
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“Community members told us that JPD treats people of color differently from White people for the same conduct. They described JPD as biased and prejudiced and in need of diversity and inclusion training. They also reported that they do not trust JPD and do not always feel comfortable calling for help. This strained relationship has the potential to undermine public safety by making the public less willing to cooperate with JPD in responding to crime,” the report stated.
Joliet Police Department “Damaging Its Relationships With Black and Latino People”
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The Attorney General’s team of civil rights lawyers has investigated the Joliet police force for the past three years and three months; on Thursday, its 158-page report was made public. The AG’s probe spanned the tenure of several Joliet police administrations: Chief Brian Benton, Al Roechner, Dawn Malec and now Bill Evans, who took over as chief in March 2022.
“The disparate impact of JPD’s enforcement decisions on Black people, even if unintentional, constitutes discrimination in violation of the Illinois Civil Rights Act and Illinois Human Rights Act,” the AG’s report found. “Coupled with evidence indicating that some actions by JPD officers are motivated at least in part by discriminatory intent, JPD’s enforcement practices are damaging its relationships with Black and Latino people in the community.”
Joliet Police Traffic Stop Data Revealed
Joliet police made around 38,000 traffic stops between 2019 through 2023. About 35 percent of the traffic stops were of Black drivers, 32 percent of Hispanic drivers and 32 percent of White, non-Hispanic drivers, the AG’s report outlined. Joliet’s population of more than 150,000 citizens is 44.3 percent white, 33.5 percent Hispanic or Latino and 17.1 percent Black.
“Compared to the population of Joliet as a whole, the distribution of traffic stops by race suggests some amount of bias in how JPD officers enforce traffic laws. This comparison is inexact, however, because the racial makeup of people on the roadways in Joliet at any given time does not necessarily match the racial distribution of the population as a whole,” the report found.
Joliet Police Search Black Drivers’ Vehicles Often
Joliet policeare far more likely to search the vehicles of Black drivers, the analysis found, searching 14.3 percent, compared to 7.9 percent of similarly situated White drivers.
“These results suggest that between 2019 and 2023, JPD officers searched about 843 more stopped vehicles with Black drivers than they would have if the rates were the same. JPD officers are also more likely to search Black drivers and/or their passengers, 10.2 percent, compared to similarly situated White drivers and/or their passengers, 5.7 percent. This disparity implies that over a five-year period, JPD officers searched drivers and/or passengers from about 593 additional stopped vehicles driven by Black drivers,” the AG’s Office noted.
As for Hispanic drivers, Joliet police are more likely to search Hispanic drivers, searching9.2 percent, compared to similarly situated white drivers, 7.7 percent, the AG report noted.
“These results suggest that JPD officers searched about 182 more stopped vehicles with Hispanic drivers than they would have if the rates were the same. JPD officers are also more likely to search Hispanic drivers and/or their passengers, 6.3 percent, compared to similarly situated White drivers and/or their passengers, 5.5 percent. This disparity implies that over a five-year period, JPD officers searched drivers and/or passengers from about 97 additional stopped vehicles with Hispanic drivers than they would have if the rates were the same.”
Joliet Police More Likely To Arrest Black Drivers
When it comes Black drivers, Joliet police are more likely to arrest them, 10.5 percent, compared to similarly situated white drivers, 7.1 percent, during traffic stops from 2019 through 2023, the AG noted. The five-year analysis excluded any of the Joliet police arrests based on an existing arrest warrant.
“This means that between 2019 and 2023, JPD officers arrested about 448 more Black drivers during traffic stops than they would have if the rates of post-stop arrests for White drivers and Black drivers were the same,” the AG declared.
Blacks, Hispanic Drivers Draw Multiple Traffic Citations
Joliet police are more likely to give two or more traffic citations to drivers who are Black, 29.2 percent, than white drivers, 21.9 percent, and JPD is more likely to issue two or more citations to Hispanic drivers, 26.2 percent, compared to white drivers, 21.5 percent, the AG found.
“These disparities imply that between 2019 and 2023, JPD issued multiple citations to approximately 962 additional Black drivers and 570 additional Hispanic drivers than they would have if the rates were the same,” the AG’s report showed.
“In Joliet, being pulled over is a notably tense situation for non-White drivers. In our review of video footage, we observed the palpable fear of non-White drivers who had been stopped by JPD. We also read reports that illustrated this fear. Some drivers directly told officers that they were afraid or felt threatened. Other drivers waited to pull over after being signaled by JPD to stop until they could reach a well-lit area and felt safer. One Black woman was so frightened by her traffic stop encounter that she urinated on herself,” the AG’s Office declared.
Joliet Police Arrest Black Men The Most
During the seven-year period of 2017 through 2023, Joliet police made 25,456 arrests and “arrested Black individuals in numbers disproportionate to the size of the Black population of Joliet, and this disparity was heightened where officer discretion was greater … Black community members are arrested at a rate that is significantly disproportionate to the size of the Black population in Joliet,” the AG pointed out.
Even though Black people make up 17.1 percent of Joliet’s population, between 2017 through 2023, 47.8 percent of all Joliet police arrests were of Black citizens. “This disparity was especially pronounced for Black men, who accounted for 37 percent of the arrests despite representing less than 10 percent of Joliet’s population,” the AG’s Office noted.
Black People Most Likely Arrested For Discretionary Offenses
“Our review of discretionary arrests corroborates our finding of racial disparity. A “discretionary” offense is one for which an officer must use a greater degree of judgment to determine whether the offense has occurred,” according to the AG. “Of the 577 arrests between 2017 through 2023 where disorderly conduct or resisting arrest or obstructing a peace officer was the only criminal charge, Black people comprised 59.4 percent of those arrests and White people comprised 18 percent of the arrests. Therefore, Black residents were more than 2.5 times more likely than White people to be arrested on a disorderly conduct or resisting arrest or obstruction of justice charge without a more substantive charge,” the AG explained.
Joliet Police Use Force Mostly Against Black Men
“Black community members, especially Black males, are subjected to force by JPD at a rate that is significantly disproportionate to the size of the Black population in Joliet. Although Black males make up less than 10 percent of the population, they accounted for 46.3 percent of the 1,258 uses of force that JPD recorded between January 1, 2017 and December 31, 2023,” the AG found. “JPD itself has recognized the disproportion in its use of force against Black males. JPD’s 2023 annual Use of Force Review Report noted that for the years 2019 through 2023, Black males have represented an average of 50% of all individuals who are subject to force by JPD. JPD did not identify a valid law enforcement explanation for this finding.”
Related Patch coverage of Unlawful Policing Practices In Joliet:
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