SB91 Alabama 2021 Session

Summary

Primary Sponsor

Rodger SmithermanSenator

Democrat

Session

Regular Session 2021

Title

Traffic stops, racial profiling by law enforcement officers, prohibited, written policies, forms for statistics, and reports to Attorney General required, provision for complaints, reporting and collection of data on injuries to officers, required

Summary

SB91 would ban racial profiling by law enforcement, require written policies and data collection on traffic stops and officer injuries, create a complaints process, and require reporting to the Attorney General with local funding consequences.

What This Bill Does

Defines racial profiling and prohibits stops based solely on race or ethnicity. Requires counties and municipal police departments and the Alabama State Law Enforcement Agency to adopt written policies prohibiting racial profiling and to use standardized forms for recording traffic stops and handling complaints, with reports filed to the Attorney General. Mandates collection and retention of traffic-stop data (including observed demographics, violation type, and stop outcome) and data on serious injuries to officers, with annual summaries to the Attorney General and Governor/ Legislature. Allows the Attorney General to withhold funds from noncompliant agencies until appropriate training on racial profiling is completed, and requires development of stop-data and complaint-report forms; local expenditures are subject to a 2/3 local-vote requirement under Amendment 621 of the Alabama Constitution.

Who It Affects

• Law enforcement agencies and officers: must implement policies, collect stop and injury data, process complaints, and report to the Attorney General.
• Alabama residents and local governments: data from traffic stops will include observed demographics and complaint data; local funding for agencies may be affected if requirements are not followed.

Key Provisions

• Defines racial profiling and prohibits traffic stops based solely on race or ethnicity.
• Prohibits use of race as the sole factor in determining probable cause, detention, or arrest.
• By January 1, 2022, require written policies prohibiting racial profiling by counties, municipalities, and the state agency.
• Requires forms for statistics on traffic stops and for complaints to be adopted and used.
• From January 1, 2022, requires recording and retention of stop data: number of stops, observed demographics, nature of violation, and stop outcomes.
• Requires copies of complaints and disposition notices to be sent to the Attorney General; demographic data collected in good faith cannot be used as the sole basis for civil action.
• Allows the Attorney General to withhold funds from noncompliant agencies until appropriate racial profiling training is completed.
• In section 4, requires a form to collect information on serious injuries to officers, including injury details, costs, and related actions, filed with POST and ALEA.
• Forms for stop data and complaints must be developed by the Attorney General, ALEA, the Administrative Office of Courts, and POST.
• Annual summary reports of the data must be provided to the Attorney General, Governor, and Legislature; the AG will review and report findings by a specified legislative deadline.
• Amendment 621 provisions mean the bill would require new or increased local expenditures to be approved by a 2/3 vote, or by local approval/funding from the Legislature.
• The act becomes effective on the first day of the third month after passage and governor approval.

AI-generated summary using openai/gpt-5-nano on Feb 23, 2026. May contain errors — refer to the official bill text for accuracy.

Subjects

Motor Vehicles