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Dispatches from public radio's correspondent at the Oregon Legislature. This is a venue for political and policy coverage of the state government in Salem and its impact on the people of Oregon.

Oregon Lawmakers Advance Measure To Continue Study Of Police Profiling

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Oregon lawmakers want to continue to root out cases of police profiling. A House panel Tuesday advanced a measure that would require additional research into the issue.

Last year Oregon lawmakers overwhelmingly approved a measure that defined and banned racial profiling by police departments. No one expected the practice to disappear immediately.

Democratic Representative Lew Frederick is the only African-American in the Oregon House. He told the House Judiciary Committee that profiling is something he knows about first-hand.

"I've had the experience of being stopped and profiled on a regular basis,” Frederick said. “My last one was in October of this last year. And I just had to deal with that, realizing that once a year I get stopped."

But Frederick said he's encouraged by the steps lawmakers have taken to address the issue. He testified in support of a measure that would extend the life of a work group that's tasked with finding ways to make sure police departments are actually complying with the new law.