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Racial profiling lawsuit to continue with disputed data

A racial profiling lawsuit against an Albemarle County police officer will proceed to trial after a federal judge ruled in favor of the plaintiffs in a dispute over evidence.

The case, filed on behalf of four local Black residents, alleges that Officer Andrew Holmes targeted the plaintiffs for traffic stops and search warrants because of their race, violating their 14th Amendment rights to equal protection under the law.

According to the appellants, Holmes made it a practice to stop and ticket three times as many Black people as white people, as compared with all other officers on the force.

Statistical data had been in contention, with county police officials arguing in part that they could not recall if the data they provided to the plaintiffs showed just traffic stops or also included calls for service.

During a virtual hearing Monday, U.S. District Judge Norman K. Moon ruled that the trial could go forward with the statistics in contention. According to attorney Jeff Fogel, who is representing the plaintiffs, the trial likely will be scheduled for sometime in early 2022.

— Staff reports

Source: www.dailyprogress.com

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