Driving While Latino

Gus Philpott
Woodstock Advocate
March 7, 2009

You'll find an interesting article in The Chicago Reporter about statistics in McHenry County for arrests for "Driving While Latino".

www.chicagoreporter.com/index.php/c/Cover_Stories/d/Driving_While_Latino

Several months ago I was provided with Case Numbers for a number of traffic arrests on July 13, the date of a community affair in Richmond, when drivers leaving the event were arrested. I've been busy with other reports, especially one involving a driver whose car was hit broadside by a deputy who had an arrested driver in the back seat for a ride to jail.

The driver whose car was hit still has not been compensated for the damage to her car. She is challenging the truthfulness of the crash report prepared by a McHenry County Sheriff's Department sergeant, which erroneously lists her as the at-fault driver, even though she was not ticketed.

The arrests that were made on that evening reportedly follow the DWL pattern. Once I get those reports, it will be interesting to examine the percentage of them that involved Latino drivers. The arrested driver who was seated in the back of the patrol car when the deputy pulled off the shoulder and hit a passing vehicle will count as One.