Minnesota Law Enforcement Organizations Take Steps To Reduce Pretexual Traffic Stops
Police departments in St. Paul, Minnesota took steps to address racial profiling in traffic stops by cutting back on “non-public-safety” stops (for things such as a broken taillight or tinted windows).
The year before these changes, the St. Paul Police Department stopped about 20,000 people and conducted vehicle searches in more than 1,500 of those. During that period, Black drivers were four times more likely to be stopped and nine times more likely to be searched, as compared to white drivers.
The next year, SPPD reduced the number of non-public-safety traffic stops by 86% - and in so doing, reduced the number of searches by 92%!
According to the St Paul County Attorney’s Office, this policy change “had no discernible effect on crime rates”.
In addition to the reduction of non-public-safety stops, law enforcement leaders in Minnesota are making efforts to reduce “consent searches” without suspicion.
Hopefully more police departments nationwide will follow these steps to reduce pretextual traffic stops and all of the disparities and harms that result.