Philadelphia’s just became the first major city to ban traffic stops for minor violations. The “driving equality” law presents a real opportunity to improve police-community relations and reduce dangerous encounters between officers and motorists. While the city’s decision to decrease these types of stops should be applauded, real change must happen at the state level.
Policing Project and Center for Policing Equity Release Guidebook on Stop Data Implementation
Today, the Center for Policing Equity (CPE) and the Policing Project at New York University School of Law released a new guidebook for law enforcement agencies, government officials and communities with best practices for collecting, analyzing and responding to data about traffic and pedestrian stops by law enforcement—a critical but often overlooked aspect of policing.
It’s time to start collecting stop data: A case for comprehensive statewide legislation
Police officers in the U.S. pull over at least 50,000 drivers every day, making the traffic stop the most common interaction between the public and police. But despite the frequency, there is a lot we don't know about stops and their effects, in part because stop data collection laws are not mandated in most states, and even when they do exist, the laws are far from perfect.
