By Mark R. Chellgren
The Associated Press

FRANKFORT - The first statewide study on racial profiling shows no conclusive evidence that Kentucky officers stop people solely for their nationality or color of their skin.

But the study's author - University of Louisville justice administration professor Deborah Wilson - cautioned that more information needs to be collected. She emphasized the findings were "limited and exploratory."

For example, there is some evidence that Hispanic drivers get stopped for longer periods of time and may be subject more often to searches.

The study was ordered by Gov. Paul Patton, and information was compiled on more than 310,000 traffic stops.

Justice Secretary Ishmon Burks said the evidence about stops involving Hispanic drivers bears more examination, but could be partly explained by language differences.

Rep. Rob Wilkey, D-Franklin, noted state law already requires any law enforcement agency that gets state supplemental funding to have a policy against racial profiling.