Editing Traffic stop (section)

===Reducing minor traffic stops===
{{see|Driving while black}}
Several states and cities have restricted or discouraged minor traffic stops, such as for broken equipment, to avoid dangerous interactions between drivers and armed law enforcement,<ref name="marshall">{{Cite web |last=Lartey |first=Jamiles |date=2023-02-11 |title=How Police Traffic Stops May Change After Tyre Nichols' Death |url=https://www.themarshallproject.org/2023/02/11/police-tyre-nichols-traffic-stop |access-date=2023-02-24 |website=The Marshall Project |language=en}}</ref><ref name="pew">{{Cite web |last=Mercer |first=Marsha |date=2020-09-03 |title=Police 'Pretext' Traffic Stops Need to End, Some Lawmakers Say |url=https://pew.org/3gToNRD |access-date=2023-02-07 |website=pew.org |language=en}}</ref>
which put both police and drivers at risk<ref name="chapman">{{Cite web |last=Chapman |first=Steve |date=2017-07-20 |title=Curbing Traffic Stops Would Save Lives |url=https://reason.com/2017/07/20/curbing-traffic-stops-would-save-lives/ |access-date=2023-02-07 |website=Reason.com |language=en-US}}</ref>
and lower trust in the police.<ref name="marshall"/>
Nationally, 43% of traffic stops are for speeding, 24% for broken equipment, and 9% for suspected criminal activity.<ref name="rand"/> 730 police killings from 2017 to 2022 started with traffic stops.<ref name="moreno">{{Cite news |last=Moreno-Rivera |first=Finesse |date=2022-11-30 |title=Police kill far too many people during traffic stops. We must change why stops are made. |language=en-US |work=USA Today |url=https://www.usatoday.com/story/opinion/policing/2022/11/20/police-killings-no-decline-despite-reforms-george-floyd/10648861002/ |access-date=2023-05-02}}</ref>
7% of killings by police started with a traffic stop. Two thirds of killings by police started with no crime or a nonviolent crime.<ref name="mpv">{{Cite web |title=Mapping Police Violence |url=https://mappingpoliceviolence.us/ |access-date=2023-02-24 |website=Mapping Police Violence |language=en-US}}</ref>

Jurisdictions can still use traffic cameras,<ref name="chapman"/>
send tickets in the mail<ref name="vera">{{Cite web |last=Dholakia  |first=Nazish, and Akhi Johnson  |date=2022-02-09 |title=Low-Level Traffic Stops Too Often Turn Deadly. Some Places Are Trying… |url=https://www.vera.org/news/low-level-traffic-stops-too-often-turn-deadly-some-places-are-trying-to-change-that |access-date=2023-02-07 |website=Vera Institute of Justice |language=en-US}}</ref><ref name="lof22">P. 24: "mailing warnings or citations to the registered owner of the vehicle." {{Cite web |last=Lofstrom |first=Magnus, Joseph Hayes, Brandon Martin, and Deepak Premkumar  |date=2022-10-05 |title=Racial Disparities in Traffic Stops |url=https://www.ppic.org/publication/racial-disparities-in-traffic-stops/ |access-date=2023-08-04 |website=Public Policy Institute of California |language=en-US}}</ref>
and can pull the car over and send a text message if both driver and police agency sign up for the service.<ref name="kxan">{{Cite web |date=2023-01-20 |title=New policing tool could eliminate the need for some traffic stops |url=https://www.kxan.com/news/texas/new-policing-tool-could-eliminate-the-need-for-some-traffic-stops/ |access-date=2023-02-24 |website=KXAN Austin |language=en-US}}</ref>

75% of police have not received recent hands-on training in removing a noncompliant person from a vehicle.<ref name="rand">{{Cite web |last=Harrison |first=Bob |date=2021-06-30 |title=Stop, Start, or Continue? A National Survey of the Police About Traffic Stops |url=https://www.rand.org/blog/2021/06/stop-start-or-continue-a-national-survey-of-the-police.html |access-date=2023-02-07 |website=www.rand.org |language=en}}</ref> Noncompliance was most common in cases of alcohol, drugs or illegal activity, and 42% of noncompliance involved disobeying the officer, while 24% involved not answering the officer' questions, a practice recommended by lawyers.<ref name="aclu">{{Cite web |date=2012-06-05 |title=Dealing with Law Enforcement |url=https://www.aclusocal.org/en/dealing-law-enforcement |access-date=2023-02-07 |website=ACLU of Southern California |language=en}}</ref>
Some North Carolina cities encouraged drivers to refuse searches by requiring the officer to get a signed form, which clarified the voluntary nature of searches.<ref name="tcr"/>

Some departments have quotas for at least a minimum number of traffic stops per officer per month,<ref name="banner">{{Cite web |last=Conarck |first=Ben |date=2023-02-08 |title=Leaked docs: State police use quota-like system to reward arrests |url=https://www.thebaltimorebanner.com/community/criminal-justice/maryland-state-police-quota-points-system-leaked-documents-WAGOQ4PLVFBJVEZIUJXUZUBB7Q/ |access-date=2023-02-24 |website=the-baltimore-banner |language=en}}</ref>
or supervisor pressure.<ref name="bbc">{{Cite web |last=Debusmann |first=Bernd  |date=2023-01-31 |title=Why do so many police traffic stops turn deadly? |url=https://www.bbc.com/news/world-us-canada-64458041 |access-date=2023-02-24 |website=BBC News |language=en-GB}}</ref>

Illinois in 2016 found contraband in one stop per 242.<ref name="chapman"/>
In July 2021 a study found that [[State patrol]] traffic stops were not associated with reduced motor vehicle crash deaths and suggested other strategies such as motor vehicle modifications, community-based safety initiatives, improved access to health care, or prioritizing [[trauma care]] as other reduction efforts. <ref>{{Cite journal|last1=Sarode|first1=Anuja L.|last2=Ho|first2=Vanessa P.|last3=Chen|first3=Lin|last4=Bachman|first4=Katelynn C.|last5=Linden|first5=Philip A.|last6=Lasinski|first6=Alaina M.|last7=Moorman|first7=Matthew L.|last8=Towe|first8=Christopher W.|date=2021-07-01|title=Traffic stops do not prevent traffic deaths|journal=The Journal of Trauma and Acute Care Surgery|volume=91|issue=1|pages=141–147|doi=10.1097/TA.0000000000003163|issn=2163-0763|pmid=34144561|pmc=8900371 |s2cid=233704108}}</ref>
France, England and Wales use traffic stops at a quarter to a third of the US rate.<ref name="chapman"/>

====Table of state and local practices====

{|class="wikitable sortable" style="font-size: 75%; text-align: center; width: auto;"
|+Reasons which do not justify a traffic stop
|-
!Jurisdiction||State||Lights||Tags & stickers||Blocked view||Other||Pedestrian
|-
|Berkeley||CA<ref name="kirk">{{Cite web |last1=Kirkpatrick |first1=David D. |last2=Eder |first2=Steve |last3=Barker |first3=Kim |date=2022-04-15 |title=Cities Try to Turn the Tide on Police Traffic Stops |url=https://www.nytimes.com/2022/04/15/us/police-traffic-stops.html |access-date=2023-02-07 |website=The New York Times |language=en-US}}</ref>
|colspan=5|Only stop for serious safety issues: unsafe speed, pedestrian right-of-way at crosswalks, failure to yield for turns, red light violations, stop sign violations, seatbelt violations, distracted driving (hands free law), DUI.<ref name="ripapp"/>
|-
|San Francisco City/County (subject to union negotiation)<ref name="holder"/>||CA<ref name="dickey">{{Cite web |last=Dickey |first=Megan Rose |date=2023-01-13 |title=San Francisco Police Commission votes to restrict low-level traffic stops |url=https://www.axios.com/local/san-francisco/2023/01/13/low-level-traffic-stops-restriction-san-francisco-police |access-date=2023-02-07 |website=Axios |language=en}}</ref><ref name="sf9">{{Cite web |last=San Francisco Police Department |date=2023-01-11 |title=CURTAILING THE USE OF PRETEXT STOPS |url=https://sf.gov/sites/default/files/2023-01/PoliceCommission11123-DGO%209.07_12.28.22_CLEAN.pdf |website=San Francisco}}</ref> || rear tag light out; taillights out in day; some but not all brake lights out||has rear tag but number not visible; no tag or expired less than 1 year||  small items on window or mirror which don't make crash more likely|| turn signal under 100' before turn; sleep in vehicle unless asked by another city agency|| any pedestrian stop unless immediate crash danger
|-
|Los Angeles City||CA<ref name="kirk"/><ref name="jany">{{Cite web |last=JANY |first=LIBOR, and BEN POSTON |date=2022-11-14 |title=Minor police encounters plummet after LAPD put limits on stopping drivers and pedestrians |url=https://www.latimes.com/california/story/2022-11-14/minor-traffic-stops-plummet-in-months-after-lapd-policy-change |access-date=2023-02-07 |website=Los Angeles Times |language=en-US}}</ref>
|colspan=5|(a) "minor equipment violations or other infractions" unless "officer believes" it "significantly interferes with public safety," or (b) "minor traffic or code violation" except if officer has information about a serious crime too<ref name="lam">{{Cite web |last=Chief of Police |date=2022-03-01 |title=Department Manual Section 1/240.06, Policy - Limitation on Use of Pretextual Stops |url=http://www.lapdpolicecom.lacity.org/030122/BPC_22-042.pdf |website=Los Angeles City Police Commission}}</ref>
|-
|Lansing||MI<ref name="kirk"/><ref name="ripapp"/>||license plate light out, cracked taillights|| ||dangling ornaments, and window treatments||regulatory violations such as, cracked windshields, loud exhaust||
|-
|Brooklyn Center||MN<ref name="kirk"/>
|colspan=5|No immediate end to traffic stops, and issuing citations. Policy "prohibiting custodial arrests or consent searches of persons or vehicles, for any non-moving traffic infraction, non-felony offense, or non-felony warrant, unless otherwise required by law"<ref name="ripapp"/>
|-
|Minneapolis||MN<ref name="ripapp"/><ref name="mnpol">{{Cite web |date=2021-10-08 |title=Minneapolis Police Policy and Procedure Manual, Section 7-604 Traffic |url=https://www.minneapolismn.gov/media/-www-content-assets/documents/MPD-Policy-and-Procedure-Manual.pdf |access-date=2023-08-03 |website=Minneapolis City Government}}</ref>||License plate lights out. For other lights out a stop is allowed to give the driver a coupon to pay for repair||Expired tabs [sic]|| Item dangling from the rearview mirror, unless that object impairs the driver’s ability to operate the vehicle safely|| ||
|-
|Ramsey County||MN<ref name="vera"/>|| || || || ||
|-
|Fayetteville||NC<ref name="jallow">{{Cite web |last=Jallow |first=Ahmed |date=2022-03-21 |title=Taking cops out of traffic stops: Would it make a difference? North Carolina examples offer a clue |url=https://www.thetimesnews.com/in-depth/news/2021/03/22/police-reform-fayetteville-burlington-nc-traffic-stops-policing/4622232001/ |access-date=2023-02-07 |website=www.thetimesnews.com |language=en}}</ref>|| || || || ||
|-
|Mecklenburg County||NC<ref name="white">{{Cite web |last=White |first=Herbert |date=2022-10-02 |title=Mecklenburg County Sheriff's Office ends administrative traffic stops |url=https://www.thecharlottepost.com/news/2022/10/02/local-state/mecklenburg-sheriff-s-office-ends-traffic-stops-for-administrative-violations/ |access-date=2023-02-07 |website=www.thecharlottepost.com |language=en-US}}</ref>|| || || || ||
|-
|All state||OR<ref name="or">{{Cite web |date=2022-03-04 |title=SB1510 2022 Regular Session - Oregon Legislative Information System |url=https://olis.oregonlegislature.gov/liz/2022R1/Measures/Analysis/SB1510 |access-date=2023-02-24 |website=olis.oregonlegislature.gov}}</ref>||1 headlight, taillight or brake light, non-red taillight, license plate light|| || || ||
|-
|Philadelphia, may mail citation or warning.||PA<ref name="kirk"/><ref name="ripapp"/><ref name="holder">{{Cite web |last=Holder |first=Sarah |date=2023-02-02 |title=These Cities Are Limiting Traffic Stops for Minor Offenses |url=https://www.bloomberg.com/news/articles/2023-02-02/police-traffic-stops-face-new-scrutiny-after-tyre-nichols-death |access-date=2023-02-07 |website=Bloomberg.com |language=en}}</ref> ||1 light out||temporary registration visible but wrong place, lack inspection or emission sticker, registration up to 2 months late or loose||item obstructing driver's view||missing bumper||
|-
|Pittsburgh||PA<ref name="kirk"/> 
|colspan=5| same as Philadelphia,<ref name="ripapp"/> police not following limits<ref name="holder"/>
|-
|Memphis||TN<ref name="burgess">{{Cite news |last=Burgess |first=Katherine, and Lucas Finton |date=2023-04-11 |title=Memphis passes 'Achieving Driving Equality' ordinance after Tyre Nichols' death |language=en-US |work=Commercial Appeal |url=https://www.commercialappeal.com/story/news/politics/2023/04/11/memphis-passes-achieving-driving-equality-after-tyre-nichols-death/70099925007/ |access-date=2023-05-02}}</ref>||one light out||registration up to 2 months late or not secure, temporary registration shown in wrong place|| || bumper loose||
|-
|All state||VA<ref name="kirk"/><ref name="valis">{{Cite web |date=2020-11-09 |title=Bill Tracking - 2020 session > Legislation, H5068 |url=https://lis.virginia.gov/cgi-bin/legp604.exe?202+ful+CHAP0045 |access-date=2023-08-04 |website=Virginia Legislative Information System}}</ref>||unapproved unsafe light, signal or glass, tail lights, license plate lights, brake lights if 1 works, 1 headlight||registration or inspection up to 4 months late||window tints, items blocking driver's view||noisy exhaust, marijuana odor, local vehicle ordinances unless jailable||jaywalking 
|-
|All state||VT
|colspan=5|Reports required by January<ref name="vt23a">{{Cite web |date=2023-01-15 |title=REPORT TO THE VERMONT LEGISLATURE In Accordance with Act 106 (2022), Relating to Secondary Enforcement of Minor Traffic Offenses. |url=https://legislature.vt.gov/Documents/2024/WorkGroups/House%20Transportation/Reports%20and%20Resources/W~Agency%20of%20Transportation~An%20Act%20Relating%20to%20Secondary%20Enforcement%20of%20Minor%20Traffic%20Offenses~1-13-2023.pdf |access-date=2023-08-03 |website=Vermont Legislature}}</ref> & October 2023<ref name="vt22">{{Cite web |date=2022-05-09 |title=H.635 (Act 106), An act relating to secondary enforcement of minor traffic offenses |url=https://legislature.vermont.gov/Documents/2022/Docs/ACTS/ACT106/ACT106%20As%20Enacted.pdf |access-date=2023-08-03 |website=Vermont General Assembly}}</ref>
|-
|Chittenden County||VT<ref name="vera"/>|| || || || ||
|-
|Seattle||WA<ref name="kirk"/><ref name="green">{{Cite web |last=Green |first=Sara Jean |date=2022-01-18 |title=Seattle Police will no longer enforce some minor traffic violations |url=https://www.police1.com/patrol-issues/articles/seattle-police-will-no-longer-enforce-some-minor-traffic-violations-AtJzjC7QPYhEiVdC/ |access-date=2023-02-07 |website=Police1 & Seattle Times |language=en}}</ref>|| || || || ||
|-
|}