Severe Racial Disparities In Arrests the Norm In America: Study

Ferguson, Missouri has become a flashpoint of anger and resistance to police racism and violence in America. But a new study from USA Today finds that, when it comes to racial disparities in arrests, what the people of Ferguson face is status quo.

In fact, at least 1,581 police departments across the country arrest black people at greater rates than in Ferguson, notes Brad Health in a USA Today summary of the study, which is based on the evaluation of arrest data submitted by police departments to the FBI. 

Data shows that disparities in arrests are near ubiquitous. In almost all of the 3,538 police departments investigated, black people are likely to be arrested more than other non-black racial groups for every type of criminal charge.

Ferguson is not even the worst on arrest disparities in St. Louis county. According to Health, over two dozen police departments in the area have worse track records on this front than Ferguson. For example, in Clayton, Missouri, 47 percent of people arrested are black, while only 8 percent of residents are black.