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Philadelphia to Ban Police Stops For Minor Traffic Violations Because of 'Equity'
[PJ] If you have a broken brake light or headlight in Philadelphia, you no longer have to worry that you’ll be pulled over by police. The city council just passed a measure that would prevent the police from stopping anyone for a host of "minor" traffic offenses.

The impetus for the change comes from a single study performed by the Defender Association of Philadelphia. The group gives free legal representation to defendants in the city. They found that a disproportionate number of black drivers were stopped compared to white drivers.

WHY:
Black drivers represented 72% of the stops with an arrest rate of 1%, according to Bradford-Grey. Only 15% of the stops were white drivers with a .98% arrest rate.

When it came to tickets issued because of these stops, Black drivers made up 9% of tickets while white drivers made up 14% of fines issued.

"When they stopped white drivers, they were for more legitimate purposes and they actually did things that advance those public safety measures," said former Chief Defender Keir Bradford-Grey testified Wednesday at a hearing convened by the City Council’s Committee on Public Safety. The hearing drew many supporters, including Philadelphia Police Department officials who had questioned the bill in the past.

The police are happy with the law because it makes their jobs safer and frees them up to tackle more serious criminal activity. But viewing a list of infractions that will no longer be enforced raises serious questions.
Posted by: Besoeker 2021-10-16
http://www.rantburg.com/poparticle.php?ID=615207