A bill making its way through the New York state legislature would prohibit police from conducting traffic stops for minor violations in an effort to limit unnecessary stops and further “racial equity and public safety.”
The proposal would bar officers from pulling people over or searching them for various traffic violations, including having a taillight out, expired vehicle registration tags, too much window tint or if the smell of marijuana is 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 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.
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A bill making its way through the New York state legislature would prohibit police from conducting 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 field interviews and 69% of pat-downs, despite making up under 30% of the county’s population combined, police data shows.
White drivers are issued an average of 1.3 tickets per stop compared to two tickets for black drivers and 2.1 for Latino drivers, the data shows.
A lawsuit against Nassau argues that police in the county have acted with racial bias when conducting traffic stops.
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.
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The measure aims to limit “the frequency of traffic stops for minor violations in furtherance of racial…
