By Tyler Dukes

RALEIGH, N.C. — A new project by a Durham-based nonprofit allows users to explore the racial disparities of traffic stops by law enforcement across the state – stops that disproportionately affect minority drivers.

The Southern Coalition for Social Justice launched the website Open Data Policing NC, using more than 10 years of law enforcement data reported to the North Carolina Department of Justice. The site allows users to explore traffic stops broken down by race and ethnicity, as well as other statistics including use of force and discovery of contraband.

News organizations from The New York Times to the Greensboro News & Record have used the state’s data in the past year to show that black drivers – and particularly black males – are more likely to be stopped and searched by law enforcement on North Carolina roads.