WOKE Sheriff McFadden Goes NOPE on Traffic Stops

From the Local Paper:

The Mecklenburg County Sheriff’s Office on Thursday is implementing a new policy that will result in fewer traffic stops and aims to combat the racial disparities of who gets pulled over. The new policy prohibits deputies from pulling over drivers solely based on regulatory stops, which can include violations such as driving with a revoked license or expired insurance, or if a malfunctioning taillight or headlight, according to a news release from the sheriff’s office. 

Now, deputies can only issue a ticket or citation for those offenses after pulling over the vehicle for something more serious, such as speeding or driving under the influence, the sheriff’s office said.

The change was proposed to the office by Forward Justice and the North Carolina Second Chance Alliance, which allege racial disparities are reinforced by regulatory and investigative stops, the release said. Forward Justice presented data to the sheriff’s office that showed Black drivers in North Carolina are 95% more likely to be pulled over than their white peers.

“Traffic stops can lead to harmful, and sometimes deadly interactions, particularly for people of color,” Whitley Carpenter, senior criminal justice counsel for Forward Justice said in the release. “By eliminating traffic stops for these low-level infractions that do not contribute to public safety, we can begin to minimize unnecessary and potentially harmful interactions between law enforcement and communities and address the racial disparities clearly inherent in these stops.” 

Sheriff Garry McFadden, in a statement, said he hopes the policy shifts helps deputies to focus on the traffic violations that pose a serious danger to the community. “MCSO also wants to be intentional in ensuring that none of our policies or practices contribute to disproportionality in our criminal justice system and I am confident that our community will be better served as a result,” McFadden said. A news conference about the new policy is scheduled for Monday, Oct. 3.

Cedar's Take: Let's start with the basic facts:

MCSO historically has never made traffic stops of any kind. In fact not until Garry McFaddin was elected did the MCSO make any traffic stops. In the past MCSO was about as likely to stop you for an expired tag as to hold you for a immigration issue. 

But is anyone surprised the local paper doesn't mention this?

In other words this is no change at all and is nothing more than a pandering to the Black Vote move.

The premise that traffic stops are racially motivated is utter BS. 

It is true that more African Americans are stopped than whites in Charlotte and that's because those drivers are more inclined to have cars with expired, stolen, missing or pretend tags.

They have more violations because they as a group they have more expired or missing plates, drive with suspended or revoked licenses and for some reason are more prone to traffic violations. 

Racial profiling is a false narrative:

As far as moving violations the Officer who just lit up the Dodge Charger on Providence Road because he was running better than 70 doesn't care and most likely doesn't even know the race of the person he/she has just stopped until the driver rolls down the window.

But review the daily CMPD accident reports and you will notice a shocking fact, about every sixth or seventh accident is a hit and run. About 3 in 10 or 30 percent of the accidents that occur in Charlotte involve a driver who flees. 

Why?

Typically the reasons are simple, no insurance, no license, stolen tag, drunk, fake tag, warrants, stolen car, or some other criminal activity.

We could reduce Charlotte traffic by perhaps 30% if we would just get the illegally operated cars and drivers off the road. 

But its bigger than just traffic. These drivers cause accidents and cost us all or at least those of us who actually insure our vehicles, more in the long run because they don't have insurance.

They are also not paying property tax. If you don't renew your tag you aren't paying your property tax. This includes all those you drive around Charlotte with rusty New Jersey, New York and Maryland plates that have lived in Charlotte but fail to register their vehicles.

In many cases the expired tag is due to a failed inspection meaning the car that they are driving is unsafe not just for them but for all of us. 

Think this trough, being lax about enforcement isn't about social justice its about basic responsibility to enforce the law. McFaddin in this regard is a total failure. 

When you begin letting people get away with "minor" traffic violations and the word gets out you rapidly start having chaos. As soon as CMPD says they are not going to stop anyone for less than 20 over the limit the house of cards will collapse. It won't take too long before you have a mass of people running 60 on Park Road, 90 on 485. Then you create an environment that is ripe for road rage because some clowns develop a sense of entitlement and when they encounter someone doing the speed limit they go nuts because they believe they have every right to break the law and before too long you have a homicide.