New York lawmakers are considering a bill that would bar law enforcement officers from conducting traffic stops for minor violations.
Part of the effort behind the proposal is to further “racial equity and public safety,” Fox News reported on Monday.
“The measure aims to limit ‘the frequency of traffic stops for minor violations in furtherance of racial equity and public safety,’ according to the bill, as racial minorities in the state make up the majority of arrests and traffic stops,” the outlet said, noting violations mentioned included those such as a broken taillight, expired tags, window tinting that is too dark, or if officers detected the odor of marijuana.
Police in Nassau County have been accused of acting with racial bias while performing such stops on duty, resulting in a lawsuit. The Fox report continued:
Nassau County Executive Bruce Blakeman told reporters on Friday it is “ridiculous” to argue that there is racial bias in policing during traffic stops, saying that officers are usually unaware of the driver’s race before making a stop.
“It’s just a bizarre argument, it’s pro-criminal,” Blakeman said, according to the New York Post. “It doesn’t matter what race you are. If you’re breaking the law, then you’re breaking the law.”
In 2020, New York Attorney General Letitia James (D) recommended the New York City Police Department (NYPD) should end the practice of making traffic stops, the Associated Press (AP) reported.
The article said James “argued that traffic stops for minor infractions often end in violence and that Allan Feliz’s death last October after he was pulled over for a seat belt violation ‘further underscores the need for this change.'”
It is important to note that traffic stops can be extremely dangerous for both the officers and civilians involved. One example happened in 2021 when a Chicago officer was dragged by a car while conducting a traffic stop, per Breitbart News. After dragging the officer, the driver was also accused of pinning the officer between the offender’s car and a viaduct.
In December, a sheriff’s deputy in Florida was shot and killed during a traffic stop.
However, officers have also been able to uncover illegal drugs and alleged criminal activity while conducting traffic stops, as in the 2021 case when Indiana State Police Troopers found $2 million worth of meth and fentanyl, and another case when a Minnesota mother was charged with the murder of her six-year-old son when authorities found her covered in blood during a traffic stop.
Officials later located the child’s body in the trunk of her car, per Breitbart News.
