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Blacks in Charlottesville have been suspected of a crime by police and pulled aside for a warrantless patdown, known as a stop-and-frisk, at more than twice the rate of whites in the past 18 months, according to a report documenting the procedure’s use.

In fact, blacks were frisked in 70 percent of roughly 140 patdowns, police Chief Timothy J. Longo told the City Council during a presentation Monday. Whites were frisked in 29 percent of the patdowns.

“It’s exceedingly disproportionate,” Councilor Dede Smith said Tuesday. “It needs an explanation … further study.”

Census data show 70.3 percent of the city’s roughly 44,000 people are white and 19.5 percent are black.

The U.S. Supreme Court allows police to temporarily detain people for limited patdowns as long as the officer has reasonable suspicion to believe a crime happened, is about to occur or is ongoing. It’s called a reasonable suspicion standard and is less than the probable cause needed for a warrant that allows police to search people and property more thoroughly.

Patdowns happen when an officer believes a suspect might be armed.