Don't stop cars if you can't explain why. Mere hunches aren't enough.

        That was part of the message on Friday to 29 officers from throughout southern Ohio. They were at the Cincinnati Police Training Academy to learn more about eliminating bias during traffic stops. When they go back to their departments next week, they will share their lessons with fellow officers. Earlier in the week, another group of about 25 took the class.

Ohio State Trooper Paul Lazot and Cincinnati Police Sgt. Tony Shearer (standing, right) conduct a class on traffic stops at Longworth Hall. (Tony Jones photo) | ZOOM |

        The program was conceived last year by several statewide police organizations that wanted to be out front on the issue of racial profiling. They included the Ohio Association of Chiefs of Police, the Ohio State Highway Patrol and the Buckeye State Sheriffs Association.

        The groups' instincts were on the mark. This spring, Cincinnati was sued by black activists and the American Civil Liberties Union over alleged racial profiling. The activists gathered stories from African-American residents, many of whom complained of indignities experienced during traffic stops.

        Shortly after the suit was filed, civil unrest in Over-the-Rhine threw a national spotlight on racial tension in Cincinnati.

        “This is taking action,” said Sgt. Tom Tanner, an academy instructor. “There's a problem, whether it's a real problem or a perceived problem.”

        Traffic stops are an important investigative tool. They have led to the arrests of notorious criminals such as Oklahoma City bomber Timothy McVeigh, Sgt. Tanner said.

        But police must balance their desire to protect neighborhoods from law-breakers with a respect for individual rights, he said. Part of this week's training focused on Supreme Court cases that established guidelines for officers.

        One of the most important is Terry vs. the Ohio Association of Chiefs of Police. The 1968 decision held in part that officers who observe suspicious behavior can stop individuals and investigate further, but only if their suspicions can be articulated and are reasonable.

        The Terry case came up in 1999 in Cincinnati, when motorist Michael Carpenter was shot to death by a police officer as Mr. Carpenter tried to drive away during a traffic stop in Northside.

        The officer and his partner had earlier observed Mr. Carpenter acting suspiciously in a Circle K store, but they failed to investigate at that time, police officials determined.

        They stopped Mr. Carpenter's vehicle several blocks from the store, “resulting in a violation of Terry vs. Ohio,” Capt. Kenneth Jones wrote in a memo about the incident.

        The fatal confrontation with Mr. Carpenter was ruled justified, however, because the officers were acting in the interests of public safety at that moment.

        During one part of the training this week, officers watched a video of a staged traffic stop involving a white officer and a black motorist.

        Several times, the motorist asked, “What did I do wrong?” but the officer refused to answer, responding instead with questions such as, “Is this your car?” and “Where are you going?”

        During discussion afterwards, officers agreed the questioning was unprofessional.

        During the '90s, police were encouraged to ask such questions because evasive answers might be an indication of drug trafficking or other criminal activity, Sgt. Tanner said later. But an officer's tone and manner must be respectful, and he or she should always explain why they're stopping someone.

        “You don't walk up to a car and act like a robot. You have to be human,” said Jeff Gobbi, a Clermont County sheriff's deputy who attended the training.

        Simple discourtesy is likely a bigger source of citizen complaints than outright racial profiling, said Sgt. Julie Shearer, a Cincinnati officer who also participated.

        “I don't discount citizen complaints by any means,” she said. “We're here to do a citizen service, and we need to be courteous and professional.”

Children's Hospital to keep booming
Owner takes blame for mishap
Postal Service can't deliver new facility for Bond Hill
Bad year for raise, UC faculty advised
Fuller's funds lag Luken's
It's St. Rita Fest weekend
Jobs initiative failed 1,000, organizers say
Metro sprawl above average
Officers trained on traffic stops
Pleasant Ridge tower dismantled
Police to confer on sprayings
Sparks fly over Norwood station
Thief's day of wine and roasts
Tristate A.M. Report
Volunteer patrol on uneasy street
Center gets funds from United Way
Edgewood coach converted dream to fieldhouse
HOWARD: Neighborhoods
MCNUTT: Ultramarathon
Airships' future beyond ads
Program to help Appalachia
Taft plans 'energy summit' for Ohio
All shelter records sought
Cincy-Louisville route still quirky
Former governor's ecampus.com sold
Immunizations being delayed
Kentucky News Briefs
Western Ky. devours phone numbers