Traffic Safety Archives - Policing Equity

CPE and the Fines & Fees Justice Center Publish White Paper on Prioritizing Safety in Federal Transportation Funding

Official Statements | 31/10/2024 | Center for Policing Equity, CPE, DOT, Official Statements, Public Safety, Traffic Safety, U.S. Department of Transportation

The Center for Policing Equity (CPE) and the Fines & Fees Justice Center (FFJC) announce the publication of a new white paper titled, “Beyond Enforcement: Prioritizing Safety in Federal Transportation Funding.” This white paper examines the U.S. Department of Transportation’s (DOT) prioritization and funding of traffic enforcement measured by frequency rather than safety – an approach shown to repeatedly increase racial disparities for Black and Latine drivers – and the risks of continuing to prioritize and fund such enforcement. The paper also provides recommendations for federal officials to clarify what a successful multifaceted systemic approach looks like in order to truly improve traffic safety outcomes. “For decades, law enforcement agencies have been quietly incentivized by grant funding structures to make as many stops and write as many tickets as possible – resulting in policing for profit over safety,” says Scarlet Neath, Policy Director at CPE. “We are grateful to have […]

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CPE Publishes White Paper on Compounding Anti-Black Racial Disparities in Police Stops

Official Statements | 09/10/2024 | Center for Policing Equity, CPE, Justice Navigators, Justices Navigator Assessments, Official Statements, Police Stops, Public Safety, racial disparities, Traffic Safety, traffic stops

The Center for Policing Equity (CPE) announces the publication of a new white paper titled “Compounding Anti-Black Racial Disparities in Police Stops.” This paper provides an overview of racial disparities in the multiple decisions police officers make when interacting with the public during vehicle stops. More specifically, the white paper maps how racial disparities during traffic stops increase the risks of harm for Black drivers at subsequent decision points throughout the encounter and that these traffic stops serve no public safety or crime reduction purpose. “Decades of research shows that Black people disproportionately bear the brunt of policing in the United States,” said the paper’s author Matthew A. Graham, Senior Data Analyst at CPE. “They’re stopped more often for pretextual, non-public-safety related reasons like expired plates, tinted windows, and broken taillights, which are exactly the types of stops that are much more likely to result in a search, so Black

CPE Publishes White Paper on Compounding Anti-Black Racial Disparities in Police Stops Read More

CPE Statement on Mixed Verdict in Tyre Nichol’s Murder Trial Against Officers

Official Statements | 04/10/2024 | Center for Policing Equity, CPE, Official Statements, Traffic Safety, Tyre Nichols

Tyre Nichols should be alive. Tyre Nichols’ 7-year-old son should still have his father. The Memphis officers convicted Thursday for their roles in his fatal beating – Tadarrius Bean, Demetrius Haley, and Justin Smith – lied to a supervisor, to medical professionals treating Nichols, and in subsequent written reports about the extent of the force they used during the early January 2023 encounter. Police video from the brutal attack showed the officers pepper-spraying and punching and kicking Nichols. When he tried to escape his attackers, they tasered him. The footage captured Nichols calling out for his mother as the officers pummeled the 29-year-old with police batons mere steps from his home. All video evidence clearly shows that Nichols was restrained during the attack and unable to comply with instructions. Bean, Haley, and Smith now face as many as 20 years in prison after being convicted Thursday of witness tampering related to

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Communities Are Ready to Make Meaningful Changes in How Traffic Rules and Regulations Are Enforced

CPE Blog, Traffic Safety | 09/03/2023 | Traffic Safety

A survey conducted in late 2022 by Safer Cities Research provides strong evidence that voters are ready for change and understand the cost if we fail to make those changes.

Communities Are Ready to Make Meaningful Changes in How Traffic Rules and Regulations Are Enforced Read More

When ”Public Safety” Is Public Endangerment:
Tyre Nichols, Traffic Stops, and Racialized Terror

CPE Blog, Traffic Safety | 02/02/2023 | Traffic Safety

The brutal killing of Tyre Nichols at a traffic stop comes against a history of similar police violence, rooted in centuries of racialized terror. Fewer badges and guns in traffic enforcement will save lives.

When ”Public Safety” Is Public Endangerment:
Tyre Nichols, Traffic Stops, and Racialized Terror Read More

Redesigning Public Safety on the Roads

CPE Blog, Featured Post, Traffic Safety | 15/12/2022 | Traffic Safety

Traffic stops are among the most common interactions people have with police but enforcement is persistently discriminatory. Our recent White Paper offers strategies for building road safety systems that are just, equitable, and safe.

Redesigning Public Safety on the Roads Read More

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