Use of Force by Police Higher for Minorities

Blacks and Latinos are twice as likely as whites to report the use of force in encounters with police, according to a report that also shows that black drivers are more likely than whites to be stopped, searched, handcuffed or ticketed.

Two percent of blacks and Latinos who had face-to-face encounters with police in 1999 reported force or threatened force, compared with just under 1% of whites, the Justice Department’s Bureau of Justice Statistics says.

The report comes as Atty. Gen. John Ashcroft has asked Congress to authorize a national study of racial profiling--the practice by law enforcement officials of singling out people based on their race. Ashcroft wants to get an idea of how prevalent the practice is.