Police Community Relations
The Problem:
Each year, thousands of African-American and Hispanic residents of Palm Beach County experience “investigatory” stops for minor things like rolling stop, failure to signal a turn or lane change, light too dim on the license plate, or sticker in the wrong place on the license place. These stops are more about the desire to investigate the driver and their passenger(s). In many stories, members are often asked questions like “whose car is this?” or “what are you doing in this area?”. People of color feel targeted, leading to growing mistrust of the police.
Proven Solution:
Law enforcement agencies cannot adequately address this problem because they lack the data showing what is actually happening. It is a national best practice to collect and analyze data on ALL traffic stops – including the race and ethnicity of the person and why they were stopped.
2025 Nehemiah Action Update
Dr. Jack McDevitt, a national expert on traffic stop data analysis, was present to share the results of his initial work with the Palm Beach Sheriff’s Office to analyze verbal warning data. You can find Jack’s verbal warning analysis by clicking HERE.
Jack also shared his recommended next steps, including an Outcomes Analysis to examine all traffic stop data to determine if there is any bias that influences whether a person is more likely to receive a verbal warning, written warning, or citation.
Sheriff Bradshaw was also in attendance, and he committed to providing Jack with the additional data before the end of April so that Jack can complete the Outcomes Analysis. Sheriff Bradshaw also committed to meet with PEACE once Jack’s report is complete to discuss the findings and next steps. We will follow up on this to ensure that Jack receives the data he needs by April 30th, and will stay in touch with him and Sheriff Bradshaw as the work progresses.