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Police chiefs oppose version of comprehensive motor-vehicle stop data bill; ACLU and advocates press for reinstatement
Summary
Rhode Island police chiefs told the Senate Judiciary Committee they support collecting motor-vehicle stop data but oppose the current language of Senate Bill 307; civil-rights groups and advocates urged passage or negotiation to restore a statewide data-collection law.
Senate Bill 307, the Comprehensive Community-Police Relationship Act, drew extensive testimony March 25 as the Rhode Island Senate Judiciary Committee sought to determine whether to reauthorize statewide motor-vehicle stop data collection.
Sponsor Senator Quesada urged the committee to move the bill, saying the data “is so important for the community to have it” and that the law would help communities and police “foster that dialogue” about policing practices. Steven Brown of the ACLU of Rhode Island told the committee the organization strongly supports the legislation and noted Rhode Island was an early adopter of statewide stop-data collection.
Chief Thomas Oates, testifying for the Rhode Island Police Chiefs Association, said the association supports the concept of collecting race and stop data but opposed the current bill because of technical problems and the way the statute is written. Oates told the committee that law enforcement agencies already continue to collect stop data post-sunset, have rolled out body-worn cameras statewide over the last 2½ years, and are implementing a new statewide CAD and records-management system that will standardize collection. He also warned that some parts of the legislation refer to thresholds or accuracy rates “that aren't even possible electronically at this point.”
Oates and other chiefs argued historical studies — including work by Northeastern University and the University of Connecticut — show that disparities in stop data do not automatically equal racial profiling and noted limits on officers’ ability to determine a driver's race before a stop. ACLU counsel Steven Brown countered that the bill leaves technical choices to independent experts and that objections over an 85% statistical-confidence threshold misread the legislation, which allows methodological decisions by the study team.
The committee did not vote on the substance of the bill. After testimony, senators agreed to hold the measure for further study to allow negotiations between the sponsor, police chiefs and community stakeholders. Senator Quesada and Chief Oates both agreed to meet to seek a middle ground.
Why it matters: Statewide, standardized stop-data collection has been viewed by supporters as a tool to identify disparities and measure reforms; opponents within law enforcement raised concerns about methodology, data accuracy and the practical ability to implement specific reporting requirements without standardized systems.
Key details from testimony - Chief Oates: every department continued to collect data after the 2020 sunset; police are implementing statewide body-worn cameras and new records systems. - Chiefs' concerns: wording of the bill includes technical thresholds and data elements that may not be electronically available; some benchmarks are inaccurate in Rhode Island's mixed traffic geographies. - ACLU: supports the bill; said methodological decisions should remain with experts conducting the analysis.
Outcome: Senate Bill 307 held for further study.
