Pubdate: Wed, 05 Jun 2013
Source: Kalamazoo Gazette (MI)
Copyright: 2013 Kalamazoo Gazette
Contact: http://drugsense.org/url/vggfBDch
Website: http://www.mlive.com/kzgazette/
Details: http://www.mapinc.org/media/588
Author: Julie Mack
Referenced: The War on Marijuana in Black and White: Report
http://www.aclu.org/files/assets/aclu-thewaronmarijuana-rel2.pdf

ACLU STUDY ON MARIJUANA ARRESTS 'BEGS A BIGGER DISCUSSION,' SAYS 
KALAMAZOO PUBLIC SAFETY CHIEF

KALAMAZOO, MI - Kalamazoo Public Safety Chief Jeff Hadley says he's 
surprised by a new study that says African-Americans in Kalamazoo 
County are 8.5 times more likely than whites to be arrested for 
possession of marijuana, despite studies that show little racial 
difference in use of pot. "There are a lot of questions generated by 
this study," Hadley said about the report, released Tuesday by the 
American Civil Liberties Union.

Titled "Black and White: Billions of Dollars Wasted on Racially 
Biased Arrests," the report looked at marijuana possession arrest 
rates nationally by race for all 50 states and at a county level, 
based on data from 2001 through 2010. (Click here to read the entire study)

According to the study, the arrest rate for whites in Kalamazoo 
County matches the state average, while arrest rates for blacks is 
three times the statewide number.

Hadley said he plans to take a closer look at the study's 
methodology, saying there were some numbers that didn't make sense to 
him. In particular, he pointed to Table 12 on page 62, which 
indicated that Kalamazoo County had the nation's highest increase in 
racial disparity in terms of marijuana arrests. The table shows that 
the ratio of black-white arrests rose from 1.5 to 1 in 2001 to 8.5 to 
1 to 2010.

"That seems crazy," Hadley said, and may indicate a fluke or change 
in data reporting during that timespan.

But, he added, the study's overall conclusion that blacks are much 
more likely to be arrested is worthy of further conversations and examination.

"At the end of the day, we want to look at evidence-based practices 
and research," he said. "There may be evidence out there that 
challenges our practices and assumptions.

"No question, this study begs a much bigger discussion, and I'd like 
to be part of that discussion," he said.

The Kalamazoo Department of Public Safety is currently in the midst 
of a study on racial profiling. The report is due to be released this month.
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MAP posted-by: Jay Bergstrom