BRATENAHL, Ohio — Black motorists continue to account for a disproportionate share of traffic stops and citations in this wealthy village outside Cleveland, despite years of scrutiny, expanded racial data collection and police anti-bias training.
Village data show Black drivers accounted for approximately 70% of traffic stops and citations in 2024, about 65% in 2025 and approximately 70% again through September 2026, according to an investigation published Oct. 28 by the Marshall Project-Cleveland.
The findings indicate that racial disparities in traffic enforcement have persisted despite changes implemented after earlier investigations raised concerns about the treatment of Black motorists traveling through the predominantly white community.
Bratenahl has approximately 1,400 residents, but its police department also patrols a three-mile stretch of Interstate 90 used by motorists from surrounding communities.
The village began more comprehensive racial data collection following the original investigation and required officers to undergo anti-bias training.
Since 2024, Bratenahl has collected nearly $400,000 in fines, court costs and related revenue through its Mayor’s Court, which primarily handles traffic violations, according to the Marshall Project.
Drivers interviewed by the news organization described significant financial burdens and longstanding perceptions that traffic enforcement disproportionately targets Black Cleveland residents.
Police Chief Charles LoBello denied that officers use race to determine whom to stop, arguing that the data reflect the demographics of motorists traveling through the village.
Mayor Keith Benjamin acknowledged the seriousness of the figures and promised a review but cautioned that an accurate assessment would require knowing the racial composition of the driving population.
Cleveland Councilman Kevin Conwell criticized the persistent disparity, according to the investigation.
The Marshall Project’s 2022 investigation estimated that at least 60% of drivers cited by Bratenahl police since 2020 were Black.
Of 1,006 citations issued through September 2022, 49% went to Cleveland residents, while only seven went to Bratenahl residents.
“The police don’t care if you’re young, old or in between,” Carolyn Quinnie, a 68-year-old in-home caretaker who works in Bratenahl, told the Marshall Project-Cleveland in 2022. “It’s just harassment.”
“I felt he targeted me,” Taquita Brown, a 26-year-old Cleveland health care worker, told the Marshall Project-Cleveland. “I thought he was fishing for anything.”
“There were a lot of me in there,” LaiDoris Johnson, a 45-year-old Black Cleveland resident, said of Mayor’s Court, according to the 2022 investigation. “Everybody looked like me in court.”
“Bratenahl police have been harassing African Americans for years,” said Kimberly Carter, a 56-year-old Black co-owner of a Glenville clothing store, as quoted in the 2022 investigation. “Some people are scared to go through there because they’re gonna be targeted.”
“We have no idea who is driving the car, what color they are, nor do we care,” then-Mayor John Licastro told the Marshall Project in 2022. “But if they break the law, we pull them over.”
“It is not consistent with best practices in 21st century policing to not record race, particularly, in light of the climate that we’re in,” Ronnie Dunn, executive director of the Diversity Institute at Cleveland State University, said in the 2022 investigation.
“I think something needs to be fixed,” Cuyahoga County Common Pleas Court Judge Shirley Strickland Saffold, a Black Bratenahl resident, told the Marshall Project-Cleveland. “You can’t say it’s not true.”
“There should be justice for all,” Conwell said, as quoted in the 2022 investigation. “It should be equal. This is not right. We need to make this stop.”
Signal Cleveland published the Marshall Project’s 2024 follow-up, which found that officers cited Black drivers in 69% of their stops from February 2023 through the end of that year.
LoBello ordered officers to begin recording the race of all drivers during traffic stops in February 2023, Signal Cleveland reported.
“The other way of doing it was not the right way,” LoBello said. “I was surprised at the discrepancy.”
“When you drive through Bratenahl, you have to be careful,” said Vince Robinson, a 66-year-old Black Cleveland resident who had lived on the Bratenahl border for more than 32 years, according to Signal Cleveland. “You learn where they set up their traps.”
“It’s a state of operation. It comes back to the culture in Bratenahl. Things from the top flow down,” Robinson added, as quoted by Signal Cleveland.
Benjamin said in 2024 that he planned to require all 17 officers to undergo additional bias-free policing training, Signal Cleveland reported.
“We have an obligation to proactively address these issues to gain public trust and ensure that everyone is treated equitably, fairly and justly,” Benjamin said.
“We need to find out the reasons why,” Benjamin said of Mayor’s Court hearings filled with people of color from Cleveland, according to Signal Cleveland.
“But we do realize that it needs to be looked at,” LoBello said, as quoted by Signal Cleveland. “If any irregularities are found and discovered, we will address them.”
State Rep. Juanita Brent, a Cleveland Democrat, vowed in January 2023 to introduce legislation requiring police agencies to record racial data during traffic stops but had not finalized the proposal as of February 2024, Signal Cleveland reported.
“We need to find money to ensure there is justice for the people,” Brent said, according to Signal Cleveland.
The Fines and Fees Justice Center reported that the Marshall Project’s investigation found Bratenahl had assessed more than $700,000 in fines, court costs and other revenue since 2020, with the majority coming from Black Cleveland residents driving through its jurisdiction.
“This is so concerning,” Conwell said of the 2024 findings, according to Signal Cleveland. “This has to stop. When is it going to end?”
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