Effort to prevent racial profiling enhanced by federal grant
Governor announces grant for Task Force on Racial Profiling

A state effort to prevent racial profiling will be helped by a new federal grant, Governor Kathleen Sebelius announced today.

The Governor’s Task Force on Racial Profiling and the Kansas Department of Transportation has received a federal grant of $643,613 to prevent racial profiling on Kansas roadways.

“Racial profiling, whether actual or perceived, hurts the relationship between our law enforcement personnel and the people they protect.  That’s why we want to ensure racial profiling is not occurring in Kansas, and why I’ve been so proud of our task force’s work to prevent it,” Sebelius said.

The task force is responsible for making recommendations on how to best implement Kansas laws banning profiling.  It will distribute the federal grant to community programs and law enforcement agencies working to prevent unlawful profiling. 

 “The task force has a balanced membership to facilitate collaboration between community members and law enforcement agencies. This grant will help us address community concerns without creating additional challenges for law enforcement officers and agencies in their responsibilities,” said Jackie Williams, co-chair of the task force.

“Our goal is to assist with the development of training and community outreach programs that will ultimately increase cooperation and trust between law enforcement personnel and Kansas communities, thereby creating a safer environment for everyone,” said Co-chair Allen Smith.

The funding is from the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration’s DOT (NHTSA) Incentive Grant Program to Prohibit Racial Profiling. The NHTSA funds are awarded to encourage states to enact and enforce laws that prohibit use of racial profiling in the enforcement of traffic laws on federal-aid highways, and to maintain and allow public inspection of statistics on motor vehicle stops.

The next meeting of the Task Force on Racial Profiling is Monday, March 26th from 10:00 a.m. until 2:00 p.m. in the State Capitol, room 423 south.

# # #