Some cities in Virginia are asking the General Assembly to revisit a new law aimed at preventing racial profiling.
Virginia was the first state in the country to remove minor non-traffic violations as a reason to stop motorists; a law aimed at cracking down on racial profiling. Now, some cities in Virginia want to revisit that law and bring back the ability of officers to stop drivers for expired inspection stickers or broken taillights or even objects dangling from the rearview mirror.
Dana Schrad at the Association of Chiefs of Police says lawmakers already restored the ability of officers to stop people for loud tailpipes.
"The public backlash was severe, and the General Assembly returned that to primary enforcement," Schrad says. "So, I think that's what we’re going to see is that at some point in time if the public supports the return to primary enforcement on some of these things, then there may be a change of heart in the General Assembly."
Rob Poggenklass at Justice Forward Virginia says backsliding toward allowing more racial profiling would be a mistake.
"Everyone knows the reason they’re being pulled over is not because of the equipment violation. That's the pretext. The reason they’re being pulled over is because law enforcement wants to be able to stop and search them," Poggenklass says. "And, that is a method of policing that sows distrust in communities, and we shouldn't go back to that."
Roanoke and Chesapeake are among the cities asking the General Assembly to restore the ability of officers to stop vehicles for things like darkly tinted windows. Lawmakers will consider those requests in January.
This report, provided by Virginia Public Radio, was made possible with support from the Virginia Education Association.
