These Cities Are Limiting Traffic Stops for Minor Offenses

The death of Tyre Nichols after a traffic stop in Memphis has reignited calls to limit how often police pull over cars for minor offenses and to eliminate so-called pretext stops that disproportionately affect people of color. 

A handful of places including Philadelphia, Pittsburgh, San Francisco and the state of Virginia have taken steps to deter police from stopping drivers for violations like dangling air fresheners, just-expired documents and burned-out bulbs that don’t hinder visibility. Prosecutors like one in Ramsey County, Minnesota, where Philando Castile was killed in 2016, have pledged not to pursue charges from cases that are built using evidence gleaned from traffic stops.