ORLANDO, Fla. (AP) — The American Civil Liberties Union is calling for an investigation after issuing a report that says black motorists in Florida are stopped and ticketed for seat belt violations nearly twice as often as white drivers.
The ACLU on Wednesday called on the Florida Attorney General's Office and county commissions around the state to launch probes.
The report says that in 2014, there were 1,871 seatbelt citations per every 100,000 residents for black motorists. That rate was 970 citations per 100,000 residents for white drivers.
The ACLU says the disparity is even higher in some counties.
Law enforcement agencies have been required to report the race and ethnicity of seatbelt citation recipients since 2005. But the ACLU says some agencies have failed to make timely reports.
