A California bill to prohibit most traffic stops for minor violations has narrowly passed the Senate.
“The data clearly shows that these pretextual stops are disproportionately used against communities of color,” bill author Sen. Steven Bradford (D-Gardena) told senators on May 30. “Having these unnecessary stops puts not only the community at greater safety [risk] but the law enforcement officers as well.”
Senate Bill 50 would restrict law enforcement from stopping drivers for low-level infractions, such as a broken taillight or expired registration, unless the officer has an additional and separate reason for pulling the driver over.
Such measures would cut down on law enforcement’s ability to use minor, non-safety-related traffic violations to conduct “racially biased” stops, Bradford said in a statement when he introduced the bill in February….