Starting on Jan. 1, Wisconsin’s 650 law enforcement agencies were required to record data on the age, gender, ethnicity and zip code of drivers and passengers they pulled over.
The purpose of the law, signed by Jim Doyle in 2009, is to have another way to check if cops are stopping minorities at higher rates. In principle, it’s a realistic way to deal with the problem of racial profiling in our state. In practice, opponents say it may be a bit of a burden on police agencies that are already full of bureaucracy, and that it could lengthen traffic stops by several minutes.
Last week, Sen. Mary Lazich, R-New Berlin, announced she would introduce a bill reversing the newly enacted law, saying it’s far too much of an obligation for agencies. Some of the agencies have made it clear they won’t follow the new law, including sheriffs in Racine County and Kenosha County.
Lazich argues much of the data is already collected on citations issued by police agencies. While this is true, that data is incomplete, and of course excludes police stops that don’t involve citations. This law can only give a fuller picture and better understanding, and we do not support repealing it.
The overall goal of the new law is admirable: a concerted effort to ensure racial profiling is not a common practice of Wisconsin police. Lazich’s attempt to repeal the law shows a failure to realize that this may be a problem, and one worth addressing.
The current law will allow for a review of the process when a report on its first year is released in the summer of 2012. Rather than push this bill through during a special session that Gov. Scott Walker said should be focused on job creation, Lazich and her Republican colleagues would be advised to wait and see what the numbers say.
