photo by: Nick Krug

A Lawrence police vehicle is pictured in a file photo from December 2017.

Community members can learn more about a planned study on the racial breakdown of law enforcement contact and traffic stops at a presentation this week.

As the Journal-World previously reported, the Douglas County Criminal Justice Coordinating Council found that African-Americans are disproportionately represented in the county jail population. The study aims to help county law enforcement agencies develop and implement programs for documenting traffic and pedestrian stops, analyze the data collected to determine if disproportionalities exist, and make recommendations to address any disproportionate contact.

Two of the researchers who will be working with the CJCC will present at 5 p.m. Thursday, Jan. 24, at Flory Meeting Hall at the county fairgrounds, 2120 Harper St. Community members will have a chance to weigh in on the process, according to a news release from the county.

The Douglas County government, sheriff’s office, and the police departments of Lawrence, the University of Kansas, Eudora and Baldwin City are backing the two-year $175,000 study through Northeastern University, according to the release.