“Do you know why I pulled you over?” This is a question no one wants to hear on their commute, and starting Monday, Jan. 1, drivers in California won’t have to hear it if they get pulled over anymore. A bill signed into law by Gov. Gavin Newsom, D, in 2022 is set to go into effect next week.
I believe that the confrontation between the law enforcement and the public begins because people of color are being asked to surrender their civil rights and they do not even know why they are being stopped.
Chris Holden, D, California Assemblymember
The new law requires police officers to give the reason for stopping someone before questioning them unless “the officer reasonably believes that withholding the reason for the stop is necessary to protect life or property from imminent threat.”
Supporters of the bill said it aims to reduce racial profiling and pretextual stops, which allow police to stop someone for something minor, then search them or their vehicle for evidence of a larger crime.
“I believe that the confrontation between the law enforcement and the public begins because people of color are being asked to surrender their civil rights and they do not even know why they are being stopped,” said Assemblymember Chris Holden, D, in a 20222 hearing. “But they are forced to comply.”
The hope is that this policing adjustment will open lines of communication and de-escalate interactions between officers and civilians.
Data collected in 2021 and analyzed by the Public Policy Institute of California shows Black Californians were twice as likely to be searched during a traffic stop than white Californians.
Arguing against the bill in 2022, the California Sheriff’s Association called the law strict and said seeking more information at the beginning of traffic stops is vital in assessing risk.
“Traffic stops can be among the most dangerous types of interactions that peace officers encounter and it often makes sense for an officer to seek and obtain additional information at the very beginning of a contact,” the group said. “This can be vital in assessing the risk emanating from the stop, and peace officers are trained that determining risk surrounding a traffic stop is a key consideration.”
The Sacramento Police Department told a local news affiliate that the department has been training its officers and cadets in this practice for years to help provide “great customer service” to the people it serves.
Police reform has become a contentious political debate in city halls and state legislative chambers as states across the country wrestle with what that should look like.
This month, the City Council in El Paso, Texas, introduced a potential change that would require police to ask for and use a person’s preferred name, pronouns, and gender identity. The goal is to improve police interactions with people in the LBGTQ+ community. That change is scheduled for a vote in January.
