During the committee’s November meeting, Chairman La Spata held a subject matter hearing on the issue of pretextual traffic stops and disparities within traffic enforcement in Chicago.

During the hearing, members of the Free2Move Coalition presented data they compiled over the past two years on traffic stops and traffic enforcement. Based upon the research compiled by Free2Move, the vast majority of traffic stops were made for minor traffic violations and did not result in citation.

Free2Move suggests that these stops were made with the purpose of investigating drivers without reasonable suspicion of criminal activity, rather than to increase roadway safety. Traffic stops and searches disproportionally impact Black and Latine drivers and communities.

You can review Free 2 Move’s data and learn more about their advocacy work here. Additional press coverage from the hearing can be found here and here.