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Michigan State Police To Change How Troopers Record Race During Traffic Stops

LANSING (WWJ/AP) - Michigan State Police plan to change how troopers record the race of drivers during traffic stops following a complaint from the American Civil Liberties Union of Michigan.

The agency is making the change so officers' electronic daily records no longer default to "unknown" for the driver's race, attempting to get more accurate data, according to Mlive.com.

The ACLU had questioned a policy encouraging troopers to make an amount of traffic stops equivalent to 70 percent of a post average and raised questions about how state police would review a trooper's activity to determine if a traffic stop was improper if a complaint was made.

Starting Jan. 1, troopers will be required to identify people using one of five categories defined by the U.S. Census, according to the report.

TM and © Copyright 2016 CBS Radio Inc. and its relevant subsidiaries. CBS RADIO and EYE Logo TM and Copyright 2016 CBS Broadcasting Inc. Used under license. All Rights Reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed. The Associated Press contributed to this report.

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