Measurement Challenges, Disparities, and Policy Considerations in North Carolina Law Enforcement Traffic Stops

Though not without gaps, North Carolina has one of the most complete traffic stop datasets in the nation, with over 20 million traffic stops documented since 2000. Based on residential denominators (the current standard), stop rates by race-ethnicity demonstrate often large disparities in most law enforcement agency jurisdictions. However, literature suggests using residential denominators to measure commuting-based events is flawed. Mike will share efforts to improve this measurement, suggesting current measures may underestimate race-ethnic disparities. We will finish by reviewing current community efforts and policy options to address these disparities, including a NC intervention to prioritize stops for moving violations over subjective and economic stops that may have measurable traffic safety and disparity reducing consequences.

This is a collaboration between the Carolina Transportation Program and Plan for All.
Pizza will be provided.

Bio: Mike Dolan Fliss worked in informatics, epidemiology and clinic management at the Orange County Health Department starting in 2010, then transitioned to consulting with the NC Department of Health and Human Services. He graduated from Duke University with a double major in computer science and philosophy, then from UNC-CH with a Master’s of Social Work with a concentration in management and community practice.  His current work is in social, injury, environmental, and spatial epidemiology, and includes opioid overdose, tobacco and alcohol retail environment and policy change, violent deaths, child maltreatment, industrial animal farms, disparities in policing, and public health informatics. He anticipates finishing the PhD in Epidemiology at UNC Chapel Hill in 2018 and his concurrent Master’s in Health Informatics soon afterward.