SB24 Alabama 2016 1st Special Session Session

Summary

Primary Sponsor

Rodger SmithermanSenator

Democrat

Session

First Special Session 2016

Title

Traffic stops, racial profiling by law enforcement officers, prohibited, written policies, forms for statistics, and reports to Attorney General required, provision for complaints

Description

Existing law does not require the keeping of statistics to determine if traffic stops are being made solely on the basis of the racial or ethnic status of persons.

This bill would define racial profiling and would prohibit a law enforcement officer from engaging in racial profiling.

This bill would require municipal police departments and the Alabama Law Enforcement Agency to adopt written policies to prohibit racial profiling; would require the adoption of the forms to be used for statistics of traffic stops; would provide for complaints; and would require reports to be filed in the Office of the Attorney General.

Amendment 621 of the Constitution of Alabama of 1901, now appearing as Section 111.05 of the Official Recompilation of the Constitution of Alabama of 1901, as amended, prohibits a general law whose purpose or effect would be to require a new or increased expenditure of local funds from becoming effective with regard to a local governmental entity without enactment by a 2/3 vote unless: it comes within one of a number of specified exceptions; it is approved by the affected entity; or the Legislature appropriates funds, or provides a local source of revenue, to the entity for the purpose.

The purpose or effect of this bill would be to require a new or increased expenditure of local funds within the meaning of the amendment. However, the bill does not require approval of a local governmental entity or enactment by a 2/3 vote to become effective because it comes within one of the specified exceptions contained in the amendment.

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Subjects

Motor Vehicles