The bill passing through the New York State Legislature would prohibit police from carrying out traffic stops for minor violations to limit unnecessary stops and further “racial equity and public safety.”
The proposal prohibits officers from attracting or searching for various traffic violations to people, including taillights, expired vehicle registration tags, windows with too many shades or marijuana smells detected.
In certain cases, evidence collected in violation of the bill may be excluded in court.
The measure aims to limit “the frequency of traffic stops of minor offences to promote racial equity and public safety” as racial minorities in the state make up a large part of arrests and traffic stops, according to the bill.
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A bill passing through the New York State Legislature would prohibit police from carrying out traffic stops for minor violations. (Nicolas Economou/Nurphoto via Getty Images)
In Nassau County alone, Black and Latino residents account for 61% of arrests, 50% of traffic stops, 60% of outdoor interviews and 69% of putdowns.
White drivers will be issued an average of 1.3 tickets per time period, compared to two tickets for black drivers and 2.1 tickets for Latin drivers, data shows.
The lawsuit against Nassau alleges that police in the county acted on racial bias in carrying out traffic stops.
Nassau County’s Bruce Blakeman told reporters Friday that it was “silly” to assert police racial bias during a traffic stop.
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The measure aims to limit “the frequency of traffic stops for minor violations to promote racial equity and public safety.” (Howard Schnapp/Newsday RM)
“It’s just a weird argument,” Blakeman said, according to the New York Post. “It doesn’t matter what race you are. If you’re breaking the law, you’re breaking the law.”
Nassau Police Commissioner Patrick Ryder said minor violations, such as broken light or expired registrations, usually lead to warnings, but limiting the ability to enforce the law will reduce road safety.
“They say the roads are very bad in Nassau County. Well, you’re just taking another tool from us and kicking these bad drivers off the road,” he told reporters. “Remove the handcuffs of criminals and stop leaving it to law enforcement men and women.”
County District Attorney Anne Donnelly said the proposal was “the most ridiculous thing law enforcement has seen in 36 years.”
Nassau County District Attorney Anne Donnelly said the proposal was “the most ridiculous thing law enforcement has seen in 36 years.” (Getty Images)
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According to the NYP, Donnelly also said he believes the bill will affect Nassau disproportionately, as the number of drivers and car accidents in the area is high, and the number of drivers and car accidents in the area is high.
She referenced the traffic stop that led to the capture of serial killer Joel Rifkin in 1993. Joel Rifkin killed at least 17 people in the area before stopping on the missing license plate at the back of his pickup truck, which has a body in the trunk.
“When officers get up to the driver and ask for a license and registration, they don’t know what’s going to happen next,” Donnelly said. “It’s important that you can do these legitimate stops. There’s nothing like a routine traffic stop.”
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