Banning most simple traffic stops would benefit people, police and communities • Minnesota Reformer

Imagine a law that could make Minnesota’s streets safer, reduce the number of dangerous interactions between citizens and police, and help understaffed police departments.

It seems too good to be true – but it isn’t.

In fact, a bill was introduced earlier this year by Rep. Cedrick Frazier, DFL-New Hope, that would accomplish all of these things – by limiting the time periods during which police can conduct traffic stops for minor offenses.

But the Legislature failed to pass this bill, just as it failed to pass similar bills in 2023, 2022 and 2021. Each delay has deprived Minnesotans of the benefits of safer streets and communities.

The way police currently enforce traffic laws is not working. Police conduct an estimated 20 million stops across the country each year, and far too many of these are for minor equipment violations that have nothing to do with road safety. These stops continue largely because they are a way for police to look for evidence of more serious crimes. But officers almost never find Weapons when searching cars stopped for minor violations, and the number of these checks is increasing in high-crime areas seems to have no impact on the crime rate either.

Communities pay a high price for these usually ineffective stops. Each year, around 80 unarmed drivers are killed during a traffic stop, and police officers report that traffic stops are one of the most dangerous aspects of their job. Stops for minor traffic violations are also racially unfair, as black drivers much more likely to be stopped than white drivers.

There is a better way. Instead of wasting time on equipment violations, officers could focus on real safety concerns, such as tracking down and stopping drunk or dangerously distracted drivers. Experience from other states that have already made this change shows that it works. In Newington, Connecticut, for example, after making equipment violations a lower priority, officers were able to more than three times their arrests for drunk driving.

But you can also look closer to home to see the benefits of telling officers to only stop people for minor traffic violations when doing so poses a serious safety risk. In Ramsey County, where several agencies already operate under policies that limit minor traffic stops, Research shows that these measures reduce racial disparities in traffic policing without having a negative impact on overall crime rates or the detection of contraband.

There are numerous reasons why 2025, when the legislature reconvenes, is the right time to finally pass a law of this kind.

First, reducing these stops will likely save lives; every delay increases the likelihood that another tragic death will occur during a traffic stop. In addition, lawmakers recently approved funding for a task force to study how to address registration and license plate violations without traffic stops. The recommendations of this task force will be an ideal starting point for broader traffic enforcement reforms.

Fortunately, traffic stop reform has gained the support of a broad coalition. Civil liberties advocates see reducing minor traffic stops as a way to achieve justice while reducing citizens’ interactions with the police. Traffic safety advocates know that accidents are not caused by a single broken headlight or taillight, but rather by serious traffic violations that police can prioritize.

These measures have also been supported by law enforcement. Prosecutors like Ramsey County’s John Choi have found that minor traffic stops do not lead to evidence of more serious crimes and have called for neglecting to prosecute equipment violations. Even police chiefs like Adrian Diaz, Seattle Police Chief and recently retired Michel Moore, Police Chief of Los Angeles Police officers – some of whom were initially hesitant to make these changes – have now realized that limiting minor traffic enforcement is a win for public safety and resource-strapped police departments.

While reducing low-intensity traffic stops is critical, the benefits become even greater when coupled with data collection requirements. With every traffic stop, officers should be required to record a baseline, standardized set of data points about the stop. With these data, researchers could measure the impact of traffic stop policies, and policymakers could build on early successes and quickly address any challenges or deficiencies. More than 20 states already do this, as do four of Minnesota’s five largest police departments.

If lawmakers take action in 2025 by prioritizing traffic safety, civil liberties and racial justice, Minnesota could finally make headlines for its good policing practices.