[OccupyCU] [BPNJ-discuss] [geo-solidarity] CUCPJ recommendations to stop racial profiling in traffic stops

[James Kilgore]

Great work on this!!

James

James Kilgore
Research Scholar
Center for African Studies
University of Illinois (Urbana-Champaign)
Author of *Understanding Mass Incarceration: A People's Guide to the Key
Civil Rights Struggle of Our Time*
<http://www.understandingmassincarceration.com/>


On Mon, Dec 7, 2015 at 11:58 AM, Gus Wood <gwoodiii3 at gmail.com> wrote:

> Thanks Brian! We will tell our members to come out!
>
> Gus
> On Dec 7, 2015 11:51 AM, "Brian Dolinar" <briandolinar at gmail.com> wrote:
>
>> Folks - CUCPJ will be delivering our recommendations to stop racial
>> profiling in Urbana. We'll be delivering to city council tonight, Monday,
>> at 7pm. The city building is at 400 S. Vine St. Come out to show your
>> support!
>>
>> BD
>>
>>
>> Preface:
>> CU Citizens for Peace and Justice (CUCPJ) applauds the City Council’s
>> effort to understand and respond to the traffic stop racial disparities
>> documented by both IDOT data and the Traffic Stop Data Task Force’s
>> statistical analysis.  The Task Force report’s greatest service to the
>> community may be its educational value.
>>
>> There is much for the City Council, UPD, and community to learn and
>> understand. After fifteen months of study, the recommendations of the Task
>> Force serve as a starting point for substantive and concrete action.  CUCPJ
>> urges the Council to plan how the stated recommendations can be implemented
>> and provide a timeline for progress.
>>
>> Although the Report’s recommendations are helpful and informative, CUCPJ
>> believes several observations and meaningful recommendations need more
>> attention.  They are included below.  We encourage the Council to make them
>> part of its overall discussion of the Task Force report.
>>
>> CUCPJ Recommendations:
>> 1. Reduce annual traffic stop numbers and citation rates.
>> Many departments have significantly lower stop numbers and citation rates
>> without any detrimental effect to public safety.  Two examples are
>> Danville’s 2014 stop number of 808 compared to Urbana’s 4205, and
>> Bloomington’s citation rate of 30% compared to Urbana’s 55%.  Intelligently
>> lowering these two numbers twenty to thirty percent would reduce the impact
>> of racial disparities and improve police/community relations.
>>
>> 2. Eliminate all searches conducted as part of a traffic stop unless
>> there is clear suspicion of a serious crime.
>> As part of this process, officers must inform drivers of their right to
>> refuse a search and obtain a voluntary signature before conducting a
>> consent search.  If the officer conducts a search, a statement explaining
>> the reason for the search must be recorded on the traffic ticket.
>>
>> 3. Eliminate or revise any city ordinances enforced as part of traffic
>> stops that no longer serve a viable public safety purpose or appear to be
>> racially biased in its enforcement.
>> One obvious ordinance is “Operating a Vehicle with Loud System”.  Vol.
>> II, Table 16 on page 38 of the Task Force report identifies it as the
>> seventh highest charge (452) for African-American drivers. This ordinance
>> is almost exclusively used against African-American drivers and appears to
>> be culturally and racially biased in its enforcement.
>>
>> 4. Study the totality of the impact and effectiveness of the
>> “investigatory stop” as a strategic policing tactic.
>> Following Recommendations 1.1 and 2.4, the Council should give direction
>> to the UPD to begin the process of collecting these data in a public
>> reportable format.  These data are critical for follow-up analysis and
>> informed decision-making by future groups appointed by the city council.
>>
>> 5. Create a new commission to review traffic stop data after it is made
>> publicly available.
>> In support of Recommendation 2.3, the commission should be composed of a
>> city council member, UPD representative, former member of the Traffic Stop
>> Task Force, and two members of the Urbana community familiar with the Task
>> Force report. They will report to the Council whether progress is being
>> made in reducing racial disparities in traffic stops.  The commission may
>> also make recommendations to the City Council.
>>
>> 6. Support Recommendation 3.4 calling for a moratorium on issuing of
>> citations for cannabis possession when it is discovered in the course of
>> traffic stops.
>> Citation for minor possession of cannabis serves little public utility,
>> is often racially enforced, and places undue economic hardship on many
>> citizens.
>>
>> --
>> Brian Dolinar, Ph.D.
>> briandolinar.com
>>
>> _______________________________________________
>> geo-solidarity mailing list
>> geo-solidarity at lists.uigeo.org
>> http://lists.uigeo.org/listinfo.cgi/geo-solidarity-uigeo.org
>>
>>
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