Eugenia Rho, an assistant professor of computer science at Virginia Tech, says Black drivers stopped by law enforcement officers are more likely to be handcuffed, searched and arrested during a traffic stop than any other demographic group.
“In this country, there’s a clear racial disparity in who is stopped by the police when driving said Rho, who leads the SAIL (Society + AI & Language) at Virginia Tech.
On Tuesday’s edition of “Closer Look, Professor Rho talked with show host Rose Scott about a traffic stop study that aims to shed light on how an officer’s first 45 words during a traffic stop with a Black driver can often determine the outcome of a traffic stop.
Rho further explained that words have power, and in most escalated stops, officers gave an order but did not provide a reason for the stop to the driver within the first 27 seconds.
“For Black male adults, the officers’ first 45 words function as a predictor of how they perceive the officer, what might happen next, as well as anxiety over whether force might be used on them,” said Rho.
