PRINTER'S NO. 3596
No. 2617 Session of 1998
INTRODUCED BY JAMES, M. COHEN, ITKIN, EVANS, BELFANTI,
FAIRCHILD, STABACK, KIRKLAND, YOUNGBLOOD, RAMOS, THOMAS,
HARHART, HORSEY, MANDERINO, SURRA, C. WILLIAMS, DeWEESE,
VEON, JOSEPHS, OLIVER, MYERS, PRESTON, WASHINGTON, ROBINSON,
A. H. WILLIAMS, BISHOP AND CARN, MAY 11, 1998
REFERRED TO COMMITTEE ON JUDICIARY, MAY 11, 1998
AN ACT
1 Requiring the Attorney General to collect data on traffic stops.
2 The General Assembly of the Commonwealth of Pennsylvania
3 hereby enacts as follows:
4 Section 1. Short title.
5 This act shall be known and may be cited as the Traffic Stops
6 Statistics Study Act.
7 Section 2. Attorney General to collect data.
8 The Attorney General shall conduct a study of stops for
9 routine traffic violations by law enforcement officers in this
10 Commonwealth. The study shall include collection and analysis of
11 appropriate available data and shall consider the following
12 factors:
13 (1) The number of individuals stopped for routine
14 traffic violations.
15 (2) Identifying characteristics of the individual
16 stopped, including the race or ethnicity as well as the
1 approximate age of that individual.
2 (3) The traffic infraction alleged to have been
3 committed that led to the stop.
4 (4) Whether a search was instituted as a result of the
5 stop.
6 (5) The manner in which the search was instituted.
7 (6) The rationale for the search.
8 (7) Whether any contraband was discovered in the course
9 of the search.
10 (8) The nature of such contraband.
11 (9) Whether any warning or citation was issued as a
12 result of the stop.
13 (10) Whether an arrest was made as a result of either
14 the stop or the search
15 (11) The benefit of traffic stops with regard to the
16 interdiction of drugs and the proceeds of drug trafficking,
17 including the approximate quantity of drugs and value of drug
18 proceeds seized on an annual basis as a result of routine
19 traffic stops.
20 (12) Other factors as deemed appropriate by the Attorney
21 General.
22 Section 3. Limitation on use of data.
23 Data acquired under this act shall be used only for research
24 or statistical purposes and may not contain any information that
25 may reveal the identity of any individual who is stopped or any
26 law enforcement officer. Data acquired under this act shall not
27 be used in any legal or administrative proceeding to establish
28 an inference of discrimination on the basis of particular
29 identifying characteristics.
30 Section 4. Report to General Assembly.
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1 Not later than two years after the date of this act, the
2 Attorney General shall report the results of the study conducted
3 under this act to the General Assembly.
4 Section 5. Effective date.
5 This act shall take effect in 60 days.
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