DES MOINES – A bill is advancing in the Iowa Legislature that would help train police to not commit racial profiling when investigating possible crimes.
Senate Study Bill 1177 is relating to law enforcement profiling and aims to help law enforcement round up data on interactions with citizens. It is the purpose of the bill to prohibit racial and ethnic profiling in law enforcement, to foster trust and cooperation with law enforcement in Iowa communities, and to create a safer state for all Iowans, law enforcement and citizens alike. It calls for standardizing collection and centralizing the compilation and reporting of officer stop and compliant data. It also calls for providing for officer training and creating a community policing advisory board with 20 members.
Some minorities say some law enforcement behavior must be modified. They point to, for example, the disparate treatment by officers or a stop for which the person’s race, color, ethnicity, religion, or national origin was considered or relied upon or was a motivating factor in the officer’s decision to make the stop.
On Wednesday, a Senate subcommittee recommended amendment and passage by a 3-0 vote.
The Senate Judiciary Committee will next take a look at the bill.