Dear Supporters, As the issue of non-safety, low-level stops increasingly gains attention, there are increasing numbers of informational videos that address topics related to this subject. This month we’d like to share a few. In Ramsay County, Minnesota, John Choi, the County Attorney, stopped prosecuting these stops in 2021. This video provides the law enforcement perspective on the benefits of reallocating officer resources away from these stops. And this linked video includes Mr. Choi’s comments on the change in policy and its impact on racial disparities in traffic enforcement. (We addressed this in our September 2024 newsletter) In 2020 Virginia passed legislation limiting traffic enforcement for certain types of stops. This video includes the comments of the Public Defender, Brad Haywood, about the importance of change. Most recently, Catalyst California (an organization we cited in our report), a California organization focused on ending racial inequities in traffic enforcement, released this video in which People of Color tell their stories about stops they and those they know have experienced. A webinar given at the John Jay College of Criminal Justice featured several leaders on this topic, including John Choi and Stephen Rushin, a leading author on this topic, as well as Max Carter-Oberstone, who wrote the model legislation upon which New York’s bill is based, at a presentation given in 2025. Another webinar presented by the National Association of Criminal Defense Lawyers in 2023, “Pretextual Policing – Keeping Minor Stops from Becoming Major Harms, focuses on legal issues and racial disparities related to pretextual stops. While we slow down for the coming summer days, we encourage you to take a look at some of these videos and share them out on social media and to those you know. Consider joining the SAFTE Coalition, which meets the third Wednesday of each month at 4:00, by signing up through the button below. Upcoming coalition meeting dates are: August 19 September16 October 21 November18 December 16 | 
