Due in part to the 2016 death of Philando Castile and the disparity in traffic stops when broken down by race, many police agencies in the Twin Cities metro area adopted a new policy when they see a person driving with a non-public-safety equipment violation.
Instead of stopping the driver, the officer now notes the malfunctioning equipment in their system, and then the department mails the vehicle’s registered owner a letter to notify them of the issue. This ensures that the driver is alerted to the issue, and it frees up police resources to focus on more pressing matters, but it has also had a noticeable effect on what some believe are racially-motivated traffic stops.
The Roseville Police Department was one of the first organizations that has shifted to the new system, and they said they’ve already sent more than 1,500 letters so far this year. They opted to make the change after Ramsey County Attorney John Choi announced that he would no longer prosecute most felonies found during traffic stops for non-public-safety equipment violations. Maplewood, Roseville, St. Anthony and St. Paul also all agreed to follow suit after the announcement.
Policy Change
So what types of non-public-safety equipment violations are police no longer stopping drivers for? Those violations include:
- Expired license plate tabs.
- No light illuminating the rear license plate.
- Loud muffler.
- Air fresheners or other objects hanging from the rearview mirror.
- Cracked windshield.
- Windows tinted too dark.
- One headlight or rear brake light not working, as both headlights or both brake lights out are considered a public safety hazard and not included in the policy.
A review of the first year of data shows that the changes have led to a significant decrease in stops for equipment violations and dramatically decreased the racial disparity in subsequent vehicle searches. The nonprofit organization Justice Innovation Lab said the data shows that the change has led to more equitable traffic policing.
“Overall, the data analyses indicate that the new traffic stop policies and practices were successful in reducing minor, non-safety-related vehicle violation stops, that this reduction resulted in a narrowing of racial differences in traffic stops and searches, and that the policy had no discernible effect on crime rates,” the nonprofit organization wrote in a report released last week.
Opponents of the change said that the city was going soft on crime, oftentimes noting that these types of traffic stops can help to uncovered illegal drugs or weapons. According to JIL, the St. Paul Police Department seized an average of 1.4 firearms per day prior to the policy change, and they have seized an average of 1.4 firearms per day since the policy went into effect. Additionally, proponents of the change argue that it actually helps police have more time to focus on more public safety risks on the road, like speeding, drunk or high driving, reckless driving or texting and driving.
“Those are the types of stops that we should be making in our community,” said Choi.
The findings also show that the policy has helped to curb racial disparities during traffic stops. The data suggests that Black drivers were three times less likely to be pulled over than they were in the year before the change, and for white drivers they are now two times as likely to be pulled over.
So while the change appears to have had a positive impact on many areas of the Twin Cities, we know that drivers still need assistance challenging traffic stops and charges every day. If you find yourself in need of legal help for a traffic charge or different criminal matter, reach out to the team at Appelman Law Firm today at (952) 224-2277.
