Reducing the footprint of policing
Alternative approaches to enforce traffic laws and improve roadway safety should be explored, including civilian-based organizations to enforce minor traffic and vehicle violations and respond to non-injury traffic collisions. Alternative strategies should be rigorously and independently evaluated for their impact on outcomes, including public safety and racially disparate impacts.
MORE ▸Traffic stops, while not always improving driver and pedestrian safety, must be reduced to decrease the criminalization of community members and racial and economic disparities. Alternative traffic-safety strategies focusing on high-risk behaviors, including automated tools and civilian-led traffic-safety enforcement. Alternative strategies should be rigorously evaluated to determine their effectiveness in reducing disparate impact and negative police-community…
MORE ▸Pedestrian stops, which allow officers to temporarily detain, question, and search a person once constitutional thresholds have been reached, should be limited to those with a clear public safety impact. Although they have been associated with reduced violent crime and increased firearm recovery, overreliance is not only likely to harm police-community relationships, including the public’s…
MORE ▸Warrants for non-criminal matters, including unpaid fines and fees or failure to appear at traffic hearings, should not be served by officers. This practice adds to community tension and mistrust, particularly among people with the least means to pay and the most to lose.
MORE ▸Law enforcement agency budgets should never be tied to revenue generated through law enforcement activity. When a law enforcement agency derives a substantial portion of its operating budget from fines associated with traffic stops and other minor violations, it can encourage policing practices focused on generating revenue rather than enhancing public safety and forming positive…
MORE ▸Law enforcement officers should not be assigned to collect fines and fees imposed by statutes and implemented by the criminal justice system. The current practice has a disparate impact on the economically disadvantaged and racial and ethnic minorities, threatens police-community relationships, and undermines more public safety goals.
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