Ann Arbor, MI, is moving to enact a new law to curtail police traffic stops, aiming to prevent what it calls “racial profiling.”
Billed as the first driving equality ordinance in Michigan, City Council voted 9-0 to initially OK the measure introduced by Council Member Cynthia Harrison on Tuesday, June 20. It awaits final approval July 6.
The law would restrict the Ann Arbor Police Department’s ability to pull over drivers for relatively minor offenses, MLive reports.
If the law is approved, officers would be prohibited from stopping or detaining anyone for offenses such as a cracked windshield, loud exhaust, tinted windows, an object hanging from a rearview mirror, a broken tail light or issues with registration stickers and plates, unless there’s an immediate risk of harm.
Such stops unnecessarily disrupt the lives of community members and are not necessary for public safety, Mayor Christopher Taylor said.
“By introducing this ordinance, we recognize that the harms of traffic stops are not equally felt, and commit to fundamentally changing the way we conduct traffic enforcement in the city of Ann Arbor so that we do not engage in practices that have proven to disproportionately impact people of color in this country,” Harrison, D-1st Ward, said in a statement.
