Dear Friends and Neighbors,
This last week has been a difficult and painful reminder of how far we still have to go in this country. The murder of Tyre Nichols shows us, yet again, that forced interactions with police can tragically escalate into a situation where a father, mother, sister, brother, son or daughter doesn’t return home. My heart goes out to his family, as it does to all of the families who have lost loved ones in similar situations.
How we police our communities isn’t a just Memphis problem. I shared my story of being beaten by the police when I introduced HB 1513, and we don’t have to look far to find incidents here in Washington. Giovonn Joseph McDade was killed in Kent after failing to stop for a traffic stop for expired tabs. Iosia Faletogo was killed in Seattle in an incident that started when he was pulled over because the owner of the car he was driving had a suspended license. Jenoah Donald was killed in Vancouver after a traffic stop for a broken taillight.
We need to limit forced interactions with police to times when it is truly necessary for public safety. That is why I have introduced the Traffic Safety for All Act. Read on to learn more about it.
Traffic Safety for All
On Monday, I testified in support of HB 1513, my bill to improve road and public safety by helping motorists fix equipment issues and reprioritizing police time from low-risk traffic stops to safety-related stops. Washington is experiencing a record high number of traffic deaths and yet too much of our policing is focused on non-moving violations that have no impact on road safety. Stops for non-moving violations disproportionately impact low-income communities, do little to improve public safety, and harm community-police relations. The Traffic Safety for All Act will allow us to focus our resources on getting dangerous drivers off the road and not creating situations that can spiral out of control.
Making sure that everyone’s car is in the best operating condition is the first step toward reducing traffic stops. This bill lays the foundation for a system that would help low-income drivers avoid fines by creating a pool of grant money for cities, counties, tribes, and non-profits to create pilot programs that improve vehicle safety. The money could be used for repair vouchers, taillight installation workshops, fee waivers for expired tabs, helmet vouchers, and other programs that would improve road safety.
Police are here to make our community safe. Data from the Washington Traffic Safety Commission shows that traffic enforcement of safety-related issues increases public safety. Fatalities increased when officers gave fewer citations for these issues—impairment, distraction, speed, and seatbelt violations. This is where our police officers’ valuable time should be spent, not on low-risk traffic stops that the NYU School of Law’s Policing Project study determined are “not an effective strategy for reducing crime.”
Reprioritizing the types of traffic stops police officers make not only improves public safety, it also combats racial inequities. An analysis of high discretion searches by the Washington State Patrol found that troopers searched Black, Hispanic, and Pacific Islander drivers at roughly twice the rate of white drivers despite finding contraband at a lower rate than white drivers. The numbers were even starker for Native Americans who were searched at five times the rate of white drivers.
1513 prevents officers from making traffic stops for non-moving violations. It also ensures safety-related stops focus on the issue for which the driver was originally stopped by only allowing searches of the driver and passengers if there is reasonable suspicion of a more serious crime, such as the smell of alcohol or visible contraband. Fewer forced interactions with police, and clear reasons for these stops, will reduce incidents that escalate to tragic uses of force.
Working Family Tax Credit
The application for the Working Families Tax Credit is now open! The Working Families Tax Credit is a new program that will provide payments of up to $1,200 to low-to-moderate income individuals and families. The amounts are based on income level and the number of qualifying children (if any).
This program will help us stimulate local economies, promote racial equity, and provide the financial stability Washington families need right now. To find more information in several available languages or see if you qualify, visit WorkingFamiliesCredit.wa.gov.
Video update
Last week I filmed my first video update. I talked about my first impressions of Olympia and how the work has been going as well as the Traffic Safety for All Act.
Thank you for reading my e-newsletter. Hearing from you helps me represent you better. I hope you will share your thoughts, ideas, and opinions with me.
Sincerely,
Chipalo Street
State Representative
37th District