Local judge talks racial disparity in traffic stops

A recent report from the Missouri Attorney General’s Office found black drivers are pulled over about twice as much as whites in Missouri. Cole County Judge Cotton Walker says he looks at traffic stop cases closely.

“If a case comes before me and there’s not probable cause for a stop, or not reasonable belief that a crime was committed, then it’s my job to make that decision.”

As for the call to “defund” police departments, Walker says that’s just a politically-charged catch phrase and doesn’t look for it to happen to mid-Missouri police agencies.