Originally published in the Winter 2024 edition of the Virginia Defender, issue 74, printed February 21. Reproduced here for accessibility and archival purposes. To find other stories in the Winter 2024 issue or to download the full PDF, see this post. For other issues dating back to 2012, see the Full Issues page.

In an unusual move, a federal judge has found that the Richmond Police Department engages in discriminatory stops of Black drivers.

U.S. District Court Judge John A. Gibney Jr. made the determination Feb. 12 after reviewing data about police stops presented by Keith Rodney Moore, an African-American who had been stopped by police in Richmond on Dec. 2, 2020. Moore, who had a prior felony conviction, was charged with a felony after a gun was found in his car. He argued that discriminatory practices by Richmond police led to his being stopped in the first place, The judge agreed, dismissing the case.

The data presented covered the last six months of 2020, when the Richmond police chief was Gerald Smith, also an African-American.