A new report taking up the topic of racial profiling during police traffic stops singles out several municipalities that have higher-than-average rates of traffic stops involving minority drivers, of which Granby is one.
Granby Police Chief Carl Rosensweig said he didn't want to comment on the data until he met with researchers from the Institute for Municipal and Regional Policy, the group at Connecticut State University that compiled the data and authored the report.
In a statement, the department defended its reputation and urged caution in reaching any conclusions from the report. The department reiterated that its officers police the town with the utmost integrity.
"There is no excuse for policing based on bias, racial or otherwise," the Granby Police Department said in a statement.
The department went on to convey that Granby officers follow also state policies when it comes to documenting traffic stops and providing information to drivers who have been stopped.
"Officers are required to pass out a form to each motorist that explains the law and notifies them how to make a complaint if they feel the stop was bias related," the statement says. "There have been no complaints from citizens."
The study analyzed 1,484 traffic stops in Granby. Researchers revealed that 85 of them involved black drivers and 42 involved Hispanic drivers.
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According to the U.S. Census, both figures represent higher percentages of each group when comparing population to traffic stop data.
U.S. Census figures show about 96 percent of Granby residents are Caucasian, while about 2.8 percent are Hispanic. The number of traffic stops of the same groups made up 8.5 percent according to the study.
