A bill by Rep. Rickey Hardy, D-Lafayette, that would create a task force to study the feasibility of compelling Louisiana law enforcement agencies to compile data regarding the race of persons stopped for traffic violations goes before the full House Friday.
A bill by Rep. Rickey Hardy, D-Lafayette, that would create a task force to study the feasibility of compelling Louisiana law enforcement agencies to compile data regarding the race of persons stopped for traffic violations goes before the full House Friday.
According to House Concurrent Resolution 87, "there is some concern that traffic data is not being properly disseminated and that racial profiling continues to exist." The resolution cites a 2009 report by the American Civil Liberties Union and the Rights Working Group that claims there is evidence of racial profiling in the state.
It would create a task force made up of representatives of law enforcement including the state sheriffs and police chiefs organizations, state police, as well as the ACLU, the NAACP, the Southern Poverty Law Center, Louisiana Catholic Charities and the Legislative Black Caucus. If created, the task force will determine the feasibility of "requiring law enforcement agencies to record data and report statistics to the Department of Public Safety and Corrections regarding the total number of persons stopped for traffic violations, the race of each person stopped, and the action taken pursuant to each stop, and to make recommendations to this legislature."