A service of Salisbury University and University of Maryland Eastern Shore
Play Live Radio
Next Up:
0:00
0:00
0:00 0:00
Available On Air Stations

Arrests of African Americans in Charlottesville Beyond Population

Charlottesville Police Badge

CHARLOTTESVILLE, Va. (AP) - Figures released by the Charlottesville Police Department show African Americans made up over half of arrests over the past years for mostly petty crimes associated with drugs, recidivism and socio-economic status.

The Daily Progress of Charlottesville reports the police department recently released data covering March 30, 2014, to March 28, 2019.

The newspaper reports that during that time, African Americans were nearly five times more likely be arrested than any other race in the city based on Charlottesville's estimated 19 percent black population.

African Americans made up 54.3 percent of all arrests in that period.

A Charlottesville Police Department spokeswoman said Chief RaShall Brackney hadn't had time to review the data because of preparations for weekend events, including a celebration of the University of Virginia men's basketball team's NCAA victory.

Don Rush is the News Director at Delmarva Public Media. An award-winning journalist, Don reports major local issues of the day, from sea level rise, to urban development, to the changing demographics of Delmarva.