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Councilmember praises 'rightsizing' traffic enforcement policy that discourages pretextual stops
Summary
Councilmember Paul Cashman praised Police Chief Ron Thomas's policy discouraging pretextual stops for minor infractions and said presenting officers with clearer traffic-safety duties increased the proportion of stops that turned up meaningful contraband or threats.
Councilmember Paul Cashman told the mayor and fellow council members that he and Police Chief Ron Thomas attended a conference at NYU School of Law where the chief described a policy discouraging pretextual traffic stops.
"He decided to put a policy into effect, urging his officers not to pull people over for minor infractions, referred to as pretextual stops because it's just a pretext to stop someone with a broken tail light in hopes of finding something insidious going on," Cashman said. He added, "The data shows that they almost never do find any contraband, outstanding warrants, weapons, etcetera," and that concentrating officer attention on public-safety traffic measures such as speeding and reckless driving raised the share of stops that found meaningful results.
The mayor echoed appreciation for Chief Thomas's leadership in the space, calling the strategy effective. The council did not take formal action at the meeting; Cashman's comments were presented as a report-back from the conference and praise for departmental leadership.
Council remarks framed the policy as part of broader efforts to align enforcement with traffic-safety goals rather than as a tool for investigative pretexts.
