A bill making its way through the New York state legislature would prohibit police from conducting traffic stops for minor violations. (Nicolas Economou/NurPhoto via Getty Images)
In Nassau County alone, black and Latino residents account for 61% of arrests, 50% of traffic stops, 60% of field interviews and 69% of pat-downs, despite making up under 30% of the county’s population combined, police data shows.
White drivers are issued an average of 1.3 tickets per stop compared to two tickets for black drivers and 2.1 for Latino drivers, the data shows.
A lawsuit against Nassau argues that police in the county have acted with racial bias when conducting traffic stops.
Nassau County Executive Bruce Blakeman told reporters on Friday it is "ridiculous" to argue that there is racial bias in policing during traffic stops, saying that officers are usually unaware of the driver’s race before making a stop.
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Nassau County District Attorney Anne Donnelly said the proposal "is the most ridiculous thing I have seen in my 36 years in law enforcement." (Getty Images)
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Donnelly also said she believes the bill would disproportionately impact Nassau because of the region’s high number of drivers and car accidents, as she claims it would allow people to essentially get away with breaking the law, according to the NYP.
She referenced a traffic stop that resulted in the 1993 capture of serial killer Joel Rifkin, who murdered at least 17 people in the area before he was stopped over the missing license plate on the rear of his pick-up truck that had a body in its trunk, the outlet reported.
"When an officer walks up to a driver and asks them for their license and registration — they never know what is going to happen next," Donnelly said. "It’s important to be able to make these legitimate stops. There is no such thing as a routine traffic stop."
https://www.foxnews.com/politics/new-york-proposal-would-ban-police-from-making-traffic-stops-minor-violations-pursue-racial-equity