Social justice group Shorewood Moving Forward (SMF) has conducted extensive research on the viability of low-level traffic stops done by Shorewood police, and has begun a project to eliminate or amend police engagement regarding minor offenses.
New York University Law School’s Policing Project says that examples of low level or “pretextual” stops include: expired registration tags, non-functioning single head/tail light, exceeding the speed limit by small amounts, missing mirror, and warrants for minor offenses. They propose officers mail citations to vehicle owners rather than pulling them over.
“It was consistent with [SMF’s] umbrella of looking at policies that could become more just…we saw its importance, and realized it would be good for Shorewood to get involved,” said Judy Winn, member.
According to the research summary conducted by SMF, these traffic stops can be biased, and are more likely to result in unnecessary and intrusive searches of innocent peoples.
“The Shorewood Police Department and I are committed to bias-free policing,” said Heather Wurth, Shorewood Police Chief. “It is important to look critically at traffic stops in their entirety and eliminate discriminatory behaviors while also permitting officers to engage in encounters designed to keep the public safe. I expect our officers to be engaged in keeping the public safe, including conducting traffic stops for violations of state law.”
To ensure bias-free policing, Shorewood Police Officers are required to wear body-cams to debrief interactions.
“Supervisors randomly and periodically check body-worn camera videos to ensure professional traffic stops without bias,” Wurth said. “In addition, anti-bias training is emphasized, including Fair and Impartial Policing, De-Escalation, and Crisis Intervention.”
Working with Kelly McConney Moore, Deputy Director of Legislative Initiatives of the Policing Project, a proposed solution would be amending legislation or creating ordinances that regulate traffic stops that don’t impact public safety, and limiting the intrusiveness of stops that do take place.
“It turns out that this question about low-level traffic stops is something that you can actually do,” said Aaron Schutz, member of SMF. “We can agree that there is a problem here, but we can also agree that there is no perfect solution. Then the question is, what’s the solution for Shorewood?”
Though bigger cities have been implementing these regulations, data for smaller villages, such as Shorewood, may not have the same effect or viability.
“It is hard to say without actually doing it and seeing what happens… the numbers just aren’t there yet,” said Shorewood Police Sergeant Karl Simandl. “From a practical standpoint I can see accidents increasing, and I can see overall crime increasing, though as far as benefit, officers are not out in traffic as often.”
Since 2020, Los Angeles; Philadelphia; Seattle; Mecklenburg County, North Carolina; and Berkeley, California, have implemented policies to limit or eliminate stops for minor traffic violations, with Virginia and Oregon making changes statewide.
The Stanford Open Policing Project explains that over 20 million drivers are stopped each year due to minor infractions, the majority having little to do with traffic safety. A survey conducted by the Vera Institute of Justice found that in Suffolk County, Massachusetts, roughly one-third of traffic stops did not impact road safety, and that police were found to pull over Black drivers at 2.3 times the rate of white drivers for the same non-traffic-safety violations.
School board member Abigail Fowler has expressed interest in Shorewood’s work with the Policing Project.
“It is obviously something that concerns me personally as a mother of two Black children navigating through this world,” Fowler said. “I appreciate that they are having those difficult conversations and it is forcing the issue because this isn’t something you can get around; you have to go through, and that means having those difficult discussions.”
Schutz and Winn believe that community engagement will bolster the effectiveness of this project.
“[At our meetings we] acknowledge the costs and benefits,” Winn said. “We are open to talking more [with both the community and the Police Department].”
Both SMF and Fowler believe that this is an attainable and realistic change for Shorewood in the coming years.
“Most anything we take on as a community has the potential of being groundbreaking, mostly because we are so small and tight-knit and people are so engaged,” said Fowler.
Fowler recognizes the effort and importance of discussion, and believes this project is leading Shorewood in a positive direction.
“One of the most impressive things is that they are connecting the groups that really don’t always align in their thinking and I think that’s the key and the answer,” Fowler said. “I am excited about this particular project and the focus and the mission that NYU has developed with their approach.”