Executive Summary
Traffic stops are the most common interaction Americans have with law enforcement. Some of the most tragic instances of police violence against Black or Latine people in this country have started with a police stop for a minor traffic offense and escalated to drivers or passengers being harmed or killed.
Recognizing the alarming racial disparities seen in stop data, the risks for serious harm, the drain on police resources, and a lack of corresponding increase in public or traffic safety, policymakers, lawmakers, and law enforcement leaders around the country are taking innovative approaches to traffic safety enforcement with the goals of reducing racial disparities in traffic, bike, and/or pedestrian stops and increasing safety.
This case study profiles nine of these jurisdictions, describing what motivated the change, the resulting policy, and what outcomes the policy achieved.
