The Relationship Between Race, Arrests, and Cause in Connecticut Police Traffic Stops

This project expands upon past research that identified 10 Connecticut police department that disproportionately stop Black drivers to determine if this pattern extends to arrest patterns. The research question asks if race and the cause of the stop are significantly associated with the event of an arrest. The sample includes all black and white Connecticut residents who were stopped by the police in 2024. Bivariate and multivariate analysis determines that black drivers are more likely to be arrested than white drivers, with most arrests occurring at investigative stops. These findings lay the foundation for further analysis to determine if specific departments are responsible for the racial disparity and if targeted bias intervention is needed.