Cook County State’s Attorney Kim Foxx has stirred debate since proposing that her office no longer file felony charges when the cases stem solely from minor traffic violations.
Foxx says her intent is to reduce the incentive for police to conduct “pretextual stops,” where an officer uses a minor violation to pull over a car in order to find probable cause for another crime. Data shows such stops disproportionately target people of color and rarely result in charges.
Other jurisdictions have implemented similar policies over the last several years and report some success, not only in reducing such stops but rebuilding trust.
“It was indeed the most controversial thing that I had done,” said John Choi, the top prosecutor of Ramsey County, which covers St. Paul, Minnesota.
Two years ago, Choi stepped before a microphone and promised “a better version of public safety and justice” in announcing his office would enact a policy very similar to what Foxx is proposing.
Choi said he used to believe such stops were beneficial for police investigations but said he couldn’t ignore that less than 2% resulted in charges and that Black drivers were being stopped at four times the rate of other drivers in St. Paul.
“For the longest time, we’ve been policing in a way that is going after that 2% but not recognizing the harm that has been done to communities,” he said when he announced the policy.
Choi said he believes the decision has been a resounding success, citing an independent study that showed a drastic reduction in stops for minor violations, particularly among Black drivers.
I agree, but this feels like just doing something tangential rather than addressing the issue. Until we clear out, clear up, and rebuild police departments from the ground up, they are going to continue to be motivated by racism and minority citizens will continue to be unfairly target and charged.
I’m not saying this isn’t a good thing or that it won’t help, but it feels like trying to put a single bandaid on somebody bleeding out after a bear mauling.
That said, we all only have the power of our station and our voice, so I do appreciate this prosecutor trying to do what they can with the power they has, and I do think they should be celebrated for it.