A class at SIU is working on a story about the rising rates of Black drivers being pulled over by campus police and they are looking for your help.
According to the WBEZ Traffic Stop Database, nearly 50% of all drivers pulled over by the SIU Carbondale Campus Police in 2023 were black. The database states this number has jumped nearly 20% over the last two decades. The WBEZ database is comprised of data from the Illinois Dept. of Transportation Traffic Stop Study data. You can access the data base here: https://interactive.wbez.org/traffic-stops/southern-illinois-university-carbondale-police/
SIU Police has interaction with non-campus and non-student drivers on a regular basis.
According to the SIU Carbondale Office of Institutional Effectiveness Planning and Research, the Black or African American student population represented 15% of students on the Carbondale campus last fall.
The students working on this story are asking any drivers, especially Black drivers, who have been pulled over by campus police if they would be willing to do an interview for the piece.
If you would be comfortable and willing to share your story, you can send an email to ethan.r.holder@siu.edu or text/call 618-759-1371.
