EX-202 (12/2018)

MICHIGAN STATE POLICE

State Police Responds to Allegations Made by ACLU of Michigan

Statement by Col. Joe Gasper, Director
June 23, 2021
The men and women of the Michigan State Police (MSP) are committed to the equitable treatment of all
persons and to providing service and enforcing the law in a professional, just and nondiscriminatory
manner. Longstanding department policies prohibit members from stopping or detaining anyone based
solely on their race, ethnicity or possible immigration status. Allegations of improper traffic stops are taken
seriously. If a trooper is accused of stopping a motorist without proper grounds, a thorough and objective
internal investigation is conducted.

We vehemently oppose any allegation or insinuation by the ACLU of Michigan that the MSP has not been
responsive to their requests. Not only have we modified our records system to collect the data they have
requested, but we have also contracted with professional researchers to conduct a full analysis and review
of our traffic stop data in order to identify if disparities exist. Further, we have shown our commitment to
accountability by voluntarily publishing our traffic stop data on our website and by working with the ACLU
of Michigan to review and modify department policies regarding immigration enforcement to ensure our
interactions with these community members are handled in the most dignified and just way.
Based on prior requests from the ACLU of Michigan, the department modified its reporting system in
beginning in January 2017 to capture the race of persons encountered during traffic stops. In August
2020, with three years of traffic stop data now captured, the MSP publicly announced it would contract with
a research institution to conduct an in-depth analysis of the data to determine if MSP’s policies or
procedures are leading to disparate treatment of some motorists.
In January 2021, two researchers from the School of Criminal Justice at Michigan State University (MSU)
were selected for a five-phase data analysis project. They are currently working with the department to
develop an internal dashboard that will allow visualization of the department's traffic stop data for review
by supervisors and the establishment of internal benchmarks that will identify instances where a disparity
may exist. Future phases of the project will include the identification of more accurate external
benchmarks to use for data comparison and analysis (rather than relying on US Census data), as well as
conducting advanced analysis of the department's traffic stop data to examine whether racial/ethnic
minorities disproportionately receive sanctions and other negative outcomes after a traffic stop.
The department is also in the process of finalizing a contract with another vendor who will be tasked with
providing expert advice to assist in the identification, documentation and analysis of traffic stop processes
and related data. This complementary work will help to address any policy or procedures that may be
found to have a disparate impact and will help us to make improvements to our practices that will ensure
equitable treatment.
The ACLU of Michigan’s intentional misrepresentation of our efforts and their continual insistence on
pushing their own agenda, which includes contracting with a sole practitioner of their choosing, works only
toward furthering the divide between the public and law enforcement and is preventing real progress. We
continue to welcome the support and assistance of true partners who wish to work together with us to
achieve solutions that will improve the policies and practices of law enforcement.
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MEDIA CONTACT:
Shanon Banner, MSP Public Affairs, 517-284-3222, BannerS@michigan.gov