LOUISVILLE, Ky. (WHAS11) -- It's the disputed traffic stop creating waves in Louisville. St. Stephen Church Reverend and Simmons College President Dr. Kevin Cosby pressed record while being pulled over in West Louisville by a Louisville Metro police officer for what he said was no reason.
Now, a community conversation is happening at his church. He sat in the front row as community leaders focused on bias policing.
“Is it racial bias if he's black and stopped in a black neighborhood. Or is it racial bias because he was stopped in a neighborhood driving a very nice car?” questioned Attorney Jan Waddell.
“Bias is in your head and it's in your heart. There's no data you can collect that can see that in an individual. If it is a part of a cultural climate of an organization, there may be some suggestions in the data, but we can't definitively say that people are acting with bias,” explained Dr. Deborah Keeling, an Associate Dean with the University of Louisville.
Dr. Keeling brought some data to the round table discussion, showing 61 percent of people pulled over in Louisville are white and 32 percent are black. It’s disparity in the numbers when you consider African Americans only make up 22 percent of Louisville's population.
“We’re not looking for any preferential treatment, we just don't want any prejudicial treatment. And that's the issue here - there seems to be prejudicial treatment in a certain part of the city in a way that does not occur to other parts of the city,” explained Reverend Clay Calloway.
Division Major Eric Johnson defended the traffic stop in an email to Councilman Bill Hollander last month after Hollander posted his concerns about it on social media. Major Johnson said aggressive patrolling is the reason behind decreased crime in his division.
“Even if we conclude that this kind of traffic stop is helping to bring down crime, we also need to look at the cost to the community. That's the relationship between the black community and the police department. We have to understand that there are costs as well as benefits,” Hollander explained.
“I don't think there is any justification for over-policing. I don’t think it's acceptable. I think the west end should be treated the same as the east end. If you get pulled over in West Louisville for a cracked taillight lens, you need to get pulled over in East Louisville for a cracked taillight lens,” Metro Council President David James weighed in.
Attorney Jan Waddell made a point to say he believes LMPD has come a long way, but there’s still work to be done. Community leaders suggested the conversation is not over.
►Contact reporter Heather Fountaine at hfountaine@whas11.com. Follow her on Twitter (@WHAS11Heather) and Facebook.