Racial Disparities in Low Level Traffic Stops – New Approaches to an Old Problem

PowerPoint presentation on the racial disparities in low-level, non-safety vehicle, pedestrian and cyclist stops, the history of these low-level non-safety stops (often called pretext stops), the harmful effects on those stopped and their communities, and how to reduce the racial disparities in who gets stopped and who gets searched. These stops impact the educational success, employment, and health of our civil legal services clients. This is an area that historically, both institutional criminal defense providers and civil legal services providers have been unable to address due to various restrictions or capacity. Empire Justice Center is now working to reduce – or eliminate – racial disparities in this area of policing. In addition to discussing pretext stops, we will also discuss the development of our proposals to respond to this issue, including formation of a coalition, education of the community and development of policy and legislative proposals. This program will also discuss the findings of our 2023 report, “Stop the Stops – The Disparate Use and Impact of Police Pretext Stops on Individuals and Communities of Colors,” linked here: https://empirejustice.org/wp-content/uploads/2023/01/Stop-the-Stops-Preliminary-Report-Final-Final.pdf