Black drivers were pulled over at a rate nearly double their representation in the Jefferson City population in 2016, according to Missouri Attorney General Josh Hawley's annual vehicle stops report.
U.S. Census figures, updated with 2016 estimates, show Jefferson City's population was 77 percent white, 16 percent black and 2 percent Hispanic. These are unchanged from 2015 figures.
Last year, the Jefferson City Police Department made 15,072 traffic stops with 10,103 (67 percent) involving white drivers, 4,616 (30.6 percent) black drivers and 91 (0.6 percent) Hispanic drivers.
Of the 1,083 arrests made from those stops, 556 (51.3 percent) were white drivers, 501 (46.3 percent) were black and nine (0.8 percent) were Hispanic.
"The division commanders conduct an annual review of the statistical data," Jefferson City Police Chief Roger Schroeder said. "We use this as an opportunity to remind everyone of their individual responsibility to enforce the various laws in a fair and equitable manner.
"If an officer is determined to stop vehicles at a racially disproportionate rate, that officer is counseled (and) the process is documented to demonstrate compliance with the statute and to affirm our organizational commitment to fairly police our community."
The outcomes of the stops made by Jefferson City police resulted in 5,772 citations issued and 8,998 warnings.
More men (8,409) were pulled over than women (6,663). The majority of the stops involved drivers who were 18-29 years old.
Frequency of traffic stops and population aligned more closely among racial groups outside city limits.
The updated Census estimates show Cole County's population in 2016 was 84 percent white, 11 percent black and 2 percent Hispanic. These were unchanged from 2015.
Cole County Sheriff's Department deputies made 1,602 traffic stops in 2016, involving 1,346 (84 percent) white drivers, 218 (13.6 percent) black drivers and 20 (1.5 percent) Hispanic drivers.
"I think it's a good representation of what we do every day," said Cole County Sheriff John Wheeler. "We will always strive to improve, but I'm very proud of the job we've done."
Of the 111 arrests Cole County deputies made in 2016, 71 (64 percent) were white drivers, 37 (33.3 percent) were black and three (2.7 percent) were Hispanic.
When deputies made stops, 238 resulted in a citation being issued and 1,423 warnings.
There were 931 men stopped and 671 women. Most were between the ages of 18-29.
Schroeder said conclusions should not be drawn from data generated in "this relatively superficial way."
He added, "The requirement does, however, serve as an important reminder of the critical obligation law enforcement agencies have to their community members to uniformly serve and protect without regard to race or ethnicity."