Fellows Blog: Limiting police stops for minor offenses

By: Jaidyn Nix

Far too often, we see headlines about another Black or brown person who has been killed by an officer during a “routine” traffic stop. Philandro Castile, Duante Wright, Rayshard Brooks, and Robert Green. These are just a handful of names of people who have been killed during a traffic stop at the hands of police. This should not be the norm. These last couple of months I have been researching how traffic enforcement is administered in cities all over the nation. I have seen the good, the bad, and everything in between. 

My question is why are these types of stops routine? I don’t believe that a broken taillight needs to be a main cause for concern of an officer. I think that the time an officer uses to pull someone over for a broken tail light or dark tint could be better served elsewhere. In my own opinion, this shouldn’t be the standard that police are known for. They should be seen as officers of the law who defend their communities and do it with good conduct.

I have learned about the various incidents that led to the U.S. Department of Justice opening an investigation into the conduct of the Louisiana State Police. But the main consensus I have come to realize is that not only the Louisiana State Police but the precincts around the country need to focus seriously on traffic enforcement reform. 

I believe that it is up to the police departments of the nation to create change. Whether that be prohibiting stops for minor offenses, such as a broken tail lights, or restricting high-speed car chases. I want there to be a significant change in the way traffic enforcement is practiced in Louisiana.

Not only does the style of policing harm the communities the police are serving but the police as well. Currently, the state of Louisiana has seen a decline in police recruitment and retention. Most law enforcement professionals were not inspired to become one so they could do routine traffic stops. If this type of enforcement continues it will be very unlikely that a large number of recruits will want to join or let alone keep the veterans that are already in the force. These men and women who are a part of law enforcement become an officer to protect and serve their community not to create distrust in it. Unfortunately, traffic enforcement is becoming a major part of what police officers do daily. This style of policing doesn’t help usher law enforcement into a new age. 

The state could recognize what areas of traffic enforcement they need to work on if they required officers to create a data report of the stop itself. With this data, they could stop over-policing and doing stops that aren’t needed and focus on bigger safety concerns in the state. All in all, there is a much-needed modification in the style of traffic enforcement here in Louisiana.