NCJ Number
178068
Journal
Police Chief Volume: 66 Issue: 7 Dated: July 1999 Pages: 15-16-23
Editor(s)
C E Higginbotham
Date Published
1999
Length
6 pages
Annotation
This report presents recommendations from a forum designed to promote proactive enforcement/traffic stop strategies while protecting and defending the constitutional freedoms and safeguards of every citizen.
Abstract
Forum participants affirmed the value of proactive legal and warranted traffic stops as an important aspect of law enforcement, since traffic enforcement often leads to the identification of wanted criminals or evidence of other crimes. The forum made clear that traffic stops must not be initiated based on a driver's or passenger's race, gender, or economic status. Such a stop is unconstitutional and should not be tolerated in any police organization. Three recommendations pertain to problem definition and data collection: provide Federal funding for State and local databases to support examination of traffic-stop activity and outcomes; fund a voluntary National Traffic Stops Clearinghouse for law enforcement agencies; and rely on driver licensing agencies for race and ethnicity identification data. Six recommendations pertain to policy and practice. Among them is the recommendation to develop a model professional traffic-stop policy. Other policy and practice recommendations are to ensure that traffic-stop activity is adequately supervised and monitored, as well as to use performance review to reward professional traffic-stop behavior. Other recommendations pertain to training, community engagement, technology, and peer engagement and collaboration.