Posted on Jun 23, 2021
Portland Mayor Announces Police Will No Longer Conduct Minor Traffic Stops
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Portland police will no longer prioritize low-level traffic infractions.
City Mayor Ted Wheeler and Police Chief Chuck Lovell announced the procedural change Wednesday, citing their shared goal of improving public safety and increasing equity. Under the directive, officers are advised to no longer stop motorists for minor offenses, including expired tags, broken headlights, and other harmless “equipment issues.”
Wheeler said the move will help reduce the number of POC “who are disproportionately impacted by consent searches and traffic stops.” According to the Associated Press, Black people make up only 6 percent of Portland’s population, but they account for about 18 percent of the city’s traffic stops.
City Mayor Ted Wheeler and Police Chief Chuck Lovell announced the procedural change Wednesday, citing their shared goal of improving public safety and increasing equity. Under the directive, officers are advised to no longer stop motorists for minor offenses, including expired tags, broken headlights, and other harmless “equipment issues.”
Wheeler said the move will help reduce the number of POC “who are disproportionately impacted by consent searches and traffic stops.” According to the Associated Press, Black people make up only 6 percent of Portland’s population, but they account for about 18 percent of the city’s traffic stops.
Portland Mayor Announces Police Will No Longer Conduct Minor Traffic Stops
Posted from complex.com
Police
Portland
Crime
Community Service
Posted 3 y ago
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PRETEXTUAL STOP
Pretextual traffic stops are often used by law enforcement as a method to initiate a stop and search of automobiles suspected to involve criminal activity. A pretextual traffic stop involves a police officer stopping a driver for a traffic violation, minor or otherwise, to allow the officer to then investigate a separate and unrelated, suspected criminal offense. Pretextual traffic stops allow police officers wide discretion in whom they choose to stop, and for what reasons they use to justify the traffic stop.
Pretextual traffic stops are often used by law enforcement as a method to initiate a stop and search of automobiles suspected to involve criminal activity. A pretextual traffic stop involves a police officer stopping a driver for a traffic violation, minor or otherwise, to allow the officer to then investigate a separate and unrelated, suspected criminal offense. Pretextual traffic stops allow police officers wide discretion in whom they choose to stop, and for what reasons they use to justify the traffic stop.
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PO1 H Gene Lawrence - If out of a 100 interactions only 2 people are arrested is this effective policing? No. In fact most of the stops target minorities and people in poor neighborhoods. When I think of pretextual stops this video alwas comes to mind.
https://youtu.be/rH3puMC23B4
https://youtu.be/rH3puMC23B4
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Capt Gregory Prickett
FYI, in most states, and in federal case law, so-called pretextual stops are completely legal.
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MAJ Byron Oyler
Capt Gregory Prickett - With your legal knowledge, what data is out there showing any communities with overall improvement in quality of life that have seen a reduction in law enforcement activities? My law enforcement friends tell me crime has only gotten worse in areas with less LEO involvement but the opportunity for bias exists with them. What is your opinion?
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"Traffic stops are the most common interaction Americans have with police. On a typical day, police pull over more than 50,000 drivers — more than 20 million people a year.
“Police have enormous discretion in making traffic stops,” said Farhang Heydari, executive director of the Policing Project at the New York University School of Law, a public safety think tank.
“If you’re driving, it’s impossible not to break a traffic law — there are so many of them,” he said. “Police are always going to have a reason to pull you over.”
White drivers were about 20% less likely to be stopped than Black drivers as a share of the population, according to a study released last year.
The team of researchers from Stanford University and New York University analyzed a dataset of nearly 100 million traffic stops across the country over nearly a decade. White drivers, they found, were searched 1.5 to 2 times less often than Black drivers, but were more likely to have drugs, guns or other contraband.
“Black drivers were less likely to be stopped after sunset, when a ‘veil of darkness’ masks one’s race, suggesting bias in stop decisions,” researchers reported."
"However, states and localities can limit the infractions police can use to stop motorists and what they do during stops, and more are doing so, through the courts, by law and local ordinance."
https://www.pewtrusts.org/en/research-and-analysis/blogs/stateline/2020/09/03/police-pretext-traffic-stops-need-to-end-some-lawmakers-say
"In San Diego, Jerry Sanders, the city’s former Republican mayor and former police chief, drew media attention in June with an op-ed saying, “Police need to stop pretext stops and the overuse of stop and frisk.”
“I was a cop for 26 years. I understand both sides, but I really think we need to be fundamentally rethinking the way we police,” Sanders said in an interview. “When you look at the stats, they don’t make sense.”
An analysis of 260,000 San Diego traffic stops from 2014 and 2015 found only 1.3% led to arrests."
“Police have enormous discretion in making traffic stops,” said Farhang Heydari, executive director of the Policing Project at the New York University School of Law, a public safety think tank.
“If you’re driving, it’s impossible not to break a traffic law — there are so many of them,” he said. “Police are always going to have a reason to pull you over.”
White drivers were about 20% less likely to be stopped than Black drivers as a share of the population, according to a study released last year.
The team of researchers from Stanford University and New York University analyzed a dataset of nearly 100 million traffic stops across the country over nearly a decade. White drivers, they found, were searched 1.5 to 2 times less often than Black drivers, but were more likely to have drugs, guns or other contraband.
“Black drivers were less likely to be stopped after sunset, when a ‘veil of darkness’ masks one’s race, suggesting bias in stop decisions,” researchers reported."
"However, states and localities can limit the infractions police can use to stop motorists and what they do during stops, and more are doing so, through the courts, by law and local ordinance."
https://www.pewtrusts.org/en/research-and-analysis/blogs/stateline/2020/09/03/police-pretext-traffic-stops-need-to-end-some-lawmakers-say
"In San Diego, Jerry Sanders, the city’s former Republican mayor and former police chief, drew media attention in June with an op-ed saying, “Police need to stop pretext stops and the overuse of stop and frisk.”
“I was a cop for 26 years. I understand both sides, but I really think we need to be fundamentally rethinking the way we police,” Sanders said in an interview. “When you look at the stats, they don’t make sense.”
An analysis of 260,000 San Diego traffic stops from 2014 and 2015 found only 1.3% led to arrests."
Police 'Pretext' Traffic Stops Need to End, Some Lawmakers Say
Police stop and search Black motorists more often.
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Probably a good move! This might insure that they focus on the BIG picture vs. the low hanging fruit!
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