Small Bills, Big Shifts: Lawmakers Push for Public Safety Reform

Following the headlines these days can feel like a procession of bad and worse news. Immigration enforcement is increasingly visible and aggressive, destabilizing families and communities and operating without oversight or accountability. The United States is deploying the military and local police to suppress protests in Los Angeles and across the country. And five years after the murder of  George Floyd, police killings have only continued to rise.¹ As public safety reforms are rolled back and civil liberties come under attack, the past six months have often felt like a scramble just to hold the line. 

Yet, without fanfare and not without compromise, communities and lawmakers around the country continue to press forward. As the Government Affairs Associate at the Center for Policing Equity (CPE), I’ve worked with inspired community members and dedicated elected officials who move the needle for racial justice and are bringing about a public health-centered approach to public safety. These are folks that are not content to just hold the line. Instead, they are finding ways to lead impactful changes through apprehensive legislatures and into frugal budgets. In doing so, they are catalyzing a long-overdue reconceptualization of safety, and law enforcement’s role in it. 

In this year’s legislative session, the Connecticut General Assembly passed, and Governor Lamont signed, a bill that will, among other things, limit pretextual traffic stops by reducing the need for police involvement in non-safety related violations. Connecticut, like the rest of the country, has been grappling with limited enforcement resources, rising traffic fatalities, and anti-Black disparities in enforcement. By limiting unnecessary stops for non-safety violations, which disproportionately impact Black and Latinx drivers, Connecticut is working to address all three of those interconnected crises. 

This bill earned near-unanimous support in both chambers—a powerful reminder that even in a climate of political division and fear-mongering, common-sense solutions are still prevailing. While some elected officials double down on regressive and punitive policies, there are still legislators focused on finding compromise and delivering results. 

Connecticut joins a growing list of states and municipalities that have moved to limit or end traffic stops for non-safety related violations. By CPE’s count, at least six other states have introduced similar legislation so far this session.²

We’re also seeing advocates and electeds finding ways to provide holistic public safety solutions despite significant setbacks. In late May, in spite of a multi-billion dollar budget shortfall, Washington State included the Traffic Safety for All Community Fund in its budget.The Fund will support local pilot programs that offer civilian traffic interventions or support low-income road users. These initiatives could include programs like helmet and repair vouchers and fee waivers—alternatives that promote safety without criminalization.

The funding for this program is modest compared to the resources directed toward boosting police recruitment, but the program is a major step in the right direction. The Community Fund and the growing number of alternative response programs across the country reflects a broader recognition that law enforcement cannot be a one-size-fits-all solution to public safety . If someone cannot afford to fix their taillight, then a badge, a gun, and a ticket will not improve the situation—in fact, it worsens it. True community safety cannot be built on punishment.

These kinds of policy shifts—amending traffic codes, funding modest alternatives—might seem like small victories. And it’s true: communities deserve more, and we continue to fight for it. But these wins matter. They bring immediate, tangible relief to Black, Latinx, and low-income communities. Moreover, they are evidence that lawmakers across the political spectrum are increasingly willing to reexamine and reduce the role of law enforcement in our everyday lives.  This moment is urgent, but it is not without hope. In every new statute and budget line that reimagines safety beyond punishment, we see the early shoots of a long-overdue transformation. Progress is not just possible—it’s already happening.