Driving Change: Evaluating Connecticut's Collaborative Approach to Reducing Racial Disparities in Policing

We examine a statewide program that identifies police departments with large racial disparities in traffic stops and works with identified departments to reduce disparities. The intervention caused large (23.56%) and persistent (at least 12 months) reductions in the number of minorities involved in traffic stops, with no impact on stops of white drivers. Reductions in traffic stops involving minority drivers primarily result from fewer pretextual stops (85%) for lighting violations and non-moving violations. We find relative declines of approximately 30% for stops resulting in a warning or an arrest. Using data on crime and vehicle crashes, we find no evidence that crashes increase after traffic stops fall, but we do find moderate declines in the clearance rates for property crime.