An analysis by the Cape Cod Times, Worcester Telegram & Gazette and USA Today has found that Massachusetts legislators, despite the state’s liberal reputation, have done little to combat racial profiling over the past 20 years, Jeannette Hinkle, Brad Petrishen, Dan Keemahill, Dian Zhang report for the USA Today Network. Police in nearly 60 communities are marking the majority of men with Hispanic surnames as white — skewing data used to probe racial bias. Leaders have also repeatedly rejected proposals from lawmakers of color that would have required police to collect demographic data for every driver stopped. Because the state doesn’t collect data on stops that end in verbal warnings, it’s ineligible for millions in federal funding.
