Last month, Attorney General Matthew Platkin launched a pilot program to address stark racial disparities uncovered by an analysis of over 6 million New Jersey State Police traffic stops. The data from 2009-2021 found that Black and Latinx drivers were, respectively, 9.3% and 16.1% more likely to be pulled over than white drivers; 89.8% and 46.4% more likely to be searched; and 130% and 27.5% more likely to have force used against them.
These numbers are shocking, but are they surprising? Not to me.
I served with the Newark Police Department for 27 years. I moved up through the ranks, retiring as a captain and chief of staff. In the course of my career, I conducted a lot of traffic stops; in the course of my life, I’ve often been the Black man unjustly stopped. Both of these experiences underscore for me the urgent need for legislation to improve traffic-stop data transparency and end some forms of low-level enforcement.
As alarming as the findings are, they’re also incomplete. New Jersey is one of 23 states that require police to collect data such as types of stops, demographics and use of force. Most require reporting by local agencies; New Jersey only requires the State Police to collect data for analysis, excluding municipal and county departments, along with New Jersey’s university and transit agencies.
It’s very hard to fix a problem you can’t see, but even in the absence of complete data, my experiences speak to a simple truth: Too many traffic stops not only fail to produce public safety but actively endanger the public.
Speeding presents a genuine danger, as do broken headlights — but a single broken taillight, or an air freshener? What about the time I was pulled over for looking at an officer? If you’re Black or Latinx, you know what I’m talking about, and you know the danger begins when an officer throws on their lights.
And even as the state grapples with these findings, New Jersey is also experiencing a spike in traffic fatalities. Clearly, the resources devoted to traffic enforcement aren’t producing the traffic safety that residents deserve.
Calling on Trenton lawmakers
When I was on traffic duty, I used my judgment and discretion, but neither is a replacement for legislation and accountability. Platkin’s efforts are a good first step, but legislators must take action, too. Lawmakers in Virginia, Oregon, Philadelphia, Pittsburgh, Memphis and Ann Arbor have already passed measures to end some low-level stops; California is among the states weighing similar measures. Legislators in Trenton need to do the same.
After retiring from the Newark Police Department , I joined the Center for Policing Equity, or CPE, where I’m senior director for Law Enforcement Initiatives. CPE’s goal is to reduce the harm caused by the status quo and partner with communities and police departments to redesign public safety to be more equitable and responsive to community needs. Ending practices that lead to fundamentally unjust outcomes is vital to achieving both.
CPE calls on New Jersey lawmakers to introduce legislation to limit stops for offenses that aren’t related to safety; address racial disparities in enforcement, and let agencies focus on driving behavior that leads to crashes. Such legislation must also require data collection by all agencies; let communities establish civilian traffic enforcement programs; and establish grant programs that provide repair vouchers and other nonpunitive tools to address safety concerns for low-income drivers.
The day an officer pulled me over for looking at him, I happened to be in an unmarked cruiser. I’d been looking because I was concerned for his safety; I put on my emergency lights so he’d know I was a fellow officer. My daughter was with me, so I also had to try to explain why someone would stop me for looking. I never did find a good explanation, because there isn’t one. I’m afraid of what might have happened if I’d just been another Black man without a badge.
Rather than hoping thousands of officers show common sense and good judgment, New Jersey residents deserve to know that lawmakers and law enforcement agencies are focused on ending unjust practices and ensuring everyone’s safety — especially the Black and Latinx residents whose safety has been statistically proven to be threatened by the status quo for so long.