DES MOINES – The American Civil Liberties Union (ACLU) has urged the Iowa Supreme Court to declare unconstitutional “pretextual” traffic stops, in which police use a minor infraction as a reason to investigate a possible more serious crime.
According to a statement from the ACLU:
We urged the Iowa Supreme Court to declare unconstitutional pretextual traffic stops – those traffic stops in which a police officer uses a minor traffic or equipment violation as an excuse to stop a driver who the officer wants to stop for other reasons, like investigating an unrelated, suspected criminal offense. We oppose pretext stops for any drivers, but they have an especially devastating impact on communities of color, where too often people are stopped for “driving while Black or Brown.” This has no place in our state.
Our amicus brief, filed along with the Iowa-Nebraska Conference of the National Association for the Advancement of Colored People (NAACP), League of United Latin American Citizens (LULAC) of Iowa, and 1,000 Kids for Iowa, cites chilling statistics pulled from open records requests:
- A study of traffic stops in Iowa City found that minorities make up roughly 10 percent of the drivers in the city yet they account for as much as 19 percent of the traffic stops.
- In Linn County, African Americans are 25 percent more likely than white people to be cited rather than warned when stopped for a traffic violation.
- Scott County data show that African Americans are 3 times more likely to be stopped for traffic violations than white drivers and almost twice as likely to be arrested after the stop.
- Waterloo Police Department Traffic Stop data show that African Americans make up just 15.5 percent of the population yet account for 37 percent of the traffic stops; and Black drivers were substantially more likely to be arrested, searched and less likely to be let off with just a warning than white drivers.
Fighting for racial justice is key in what we do. Whether it’s filing an amicus brief with the Iowa Supreme Court on pretextual stops, working to pass a racial profiling bill in the Iowa Legislature, or educating Iowans on the crisis-level racial disparities that exist in our judicial system, we’ll keep working until all Iowans are treated equally under the law.
According to an earlier U.S. Supreme Court ruling written about here, “the United States Supreme Court’s decision in Whren v United States effectively abolished the Fourth Amendment argument against pretext stops, i.e., traffic stops based on genuine infractions but conducted for an “improper” police motive.”
18 thoughts on “ACLU urges Iowa Supreme Court to ban “pretext” stops by police”
i don’t see any figures on percentages of which color commit crimes?? they did a study several years ago and found more blacks are in prison then whites., duh, didn’t have to spend all that money, I could have told them, the reason is more blacks commit crimes.
So what then constitutes and authorized stop? You people are crooks, for crooks and by the crooks. ELIMINATE the ACLU. This is an anti-America group.
Read the article all the way to the end you dipshits. It says that too often the stops are unwarranted and minorities are stopped much more often than white people – at rates higher than the population percentages.
Read the article yourself! It clearly says “traffic stops in which a police officer uses a minor traffic or equipment violation as an excuse”. I.e. contrary to your claim these stops are NOT unwarranted, and regarding the over representation – funny how neither you nor aclu reflect over how the criminal Justice system is sexually discriminating the male half of the population by handing out some 90% of all convictions to us. If I didn’t know better id suspect you were secretly stereotyping, thinking that we somehow deserve it because we’re somehow more criminally inclined or something.
Oh, and thanks for calling me a dipshit for disagreeing with you. I just love it when a liberal shows her true bigoted colors.
My what language from our most tolerant lib. I still think you need a Trumpy bear.
There is a reason for that, dipshit!
The aclu has no business telling law enforcement how to do their job. If your dumb enough to do the crime(s) you should except the consequences. Criminals are the reason we have law enforcement.
So the ACLU wants cops to stop enforcing laws…
What’s next? Teachers quit teaching because some can’t pass the test.
So the ACLU wants cops to quit enforcing laws….
Its very simple, if a officer things its necessary to pull you over for a license plat light, then the only ticket he should be able to give is a ticket for that.
YES, these stops are nothing more than trolling for something bigger $$$$$
So if a drunk driver gets pulled over for a turn signal violation, he must be let go?? That makes no sense.
That’s the liberals for you. They never do make any sense.
I drive a fare amount at night. I have been pulled over 3 times over the last 3 years. All 3 stops were without cause and the officer flat out lied as to the reason I was pulled over. It was just past midnight and the officer hoped I had been drinking. I never got a ticket, they were just hoping for the big DOLLARS.
I am sorry, because of these type actions, I have no respect for law enforcement
I drive every night except Sunday, and have never been pulled over. Sometimes I think that law enforcement isn’t doing their job.
The drunk driver that just got pulled over for a license plate light was given a fixit ticket for the light and let go. Ten minutes later he kills one of your family members in an auto accident. Seems fair to me.
The drunk driver that gets pulled over for a bad light gets a fixit ticket and let go. Ten minutes later he runs a stop sign and broadsides another vehicle, killing the driver, one of your relatives. Sounds fair to me.
So, what you are saying is a cop should be able to pull you over WITH OUT CAUSE, at ANY time they wish?
I am sorry, all 3 stops I had were without cause, stopped simply for driving at night. That is WRONG. Trolling for dollars
It’s even simpler. Stop being a shitbag and law enforcement will get off you back.