The American Civil Liberties Union of Michigan says a study of ticketed motorists shows Ferndale police "possibly" engaged in racial profiling, but police deny that allegation, Mike McConnell reports in the Daily Tribune of Royal Oak.
ACLU attorney Mark Fancher said a disproportionate number of black motorists were ticketed near Eight Mile and Woodward in a study of thousands of tickets issued between Jan. 1. 2013 and May 15 of this year. Eight Mile Road is the border between Ferndale and Detroit.
About 60 percent of ticketed motorists in the area were black when the race of the driver was known, according to the ACLU.
Ferndale Police Chief Timothy Collins said he is ready to meet with the ACLU after receiving a letter from the organization Tuesday.
“We’re taking this allegation very seriously,” Collins said. “We strongly believe the Ferndale Police Department does not engage in racial profiling and we stand ready to sit down with the ACLU to discuss this matter at any time.”
