SB192 Alabama 2015 Session

Updated Feb 27, 2026

High Interest

Summary

Primary Sponsor: Rodger SmithermanSenator
Democrat
Session: Regular Session 2015
Title: Traffic stops, racial profiling by law enforcement officers, prohibited, written policies, forms for statistics, and reports to Attorney General required, provision for complaints
Summary: SB192 would ban racial profiling in traffic stops, require anti-profiling policies and data collection, create a complaint process, and require annual reporting to the Attorney General.
What This Bill Does
The bill defines racial profiling and prohibits stops based solely on a person’s race or ethnicity. It requires municipal police departments and the Alabama Law Enforcement Agency to adopt written anti-profiling policies, use standardized forms to record stop statistics, and handle complaints about profiling. It also requires agencies to report these complaints to the Attorney General and to provide annual summary data and reviews to the Governor and Legislature.

Who It Affects
Law enforcement agencies (municipal police departments and the Alabama Law Enforcement Agency) must adopt anti-profiling policies, collect stop data, maintain complaint records, and respond to the Attorney General.
Motorists and the general public can be recorded in stop statistics (including perceived race/ethnicity) and may file complaints about stops they believe were based on race or other protected characteristics.

Key Provisions
Defines 'traffic stops based on racial profiling' as detaining or treating a motorist differently solely because of race or ethnicity.
Prohibits stops where race, color, ethnicity, age, gender, or sexual orientation is the sole basis and requires stops not to be based on such factors.
By Jan 1 after the act’s effective date, agencies must adopt written policies prohibiting stops driven by racial profiling.
Starting Jan 1 after the act’s effective date, agencies must collect and retain data on stops, including observed demographics of motorists and officers, stop location, reason for stop, and outcome (warning, citation, arrest, or search).
Agencies must provide copies of complaints about profiling to the Attorney General and report on their review and disposition.
Collected demographic information, when done in good faith, cannot be used as the basis for civil action.
Noncompliance can lead the Attorney General to withhold funds until training is completed.
An annual summary report of stop data and complaints is due Oct 1 of the second year after the act’s effective date and annually thereafter; the Attorney General will review and report results and recommendations to the Governor and Legislature.
The Attorney General, with specific law enforcement and court-related agencies, will develop and issue forms for stop recording and for filing complaints.
Although the bill would impose local funding costs, it is exempt from Amendment 621 because the fiscal impact is under $50,000 annually.
The act becomes law on the first day of the third month after its passage and approval by the Governor.

AI-generated summary using openai/gpt-5-nano on Feb 24, 2026. May contain errors — refer to the official bill text for accuracy.
Subjects: Motor Vehicles