By Stephen Oduntan
Contributing Writer
LOS ANGELES — A City Council committee hearing March 6 brought together community advocates, police officials and policymakers to examine the impact of so-called “pretextual stops” — traffic stops initiated for minor violations that officers may use to investigate other suspected crimes.
Advocates urged city leaders to eliminate stops for minor equipment and administrative violations, arguing the practice disproportionately targets Black and Latino residents while doing little to improve public safety. Law enforcement officials warned that removing the tool could limit officers’ ability to intervene in serious crimes.
The hearing, led by Councilwoman Eunisses Hernandez, focused on new data presented by the City Council’s chief legislative analyst.
Henry Flatt, an analyst with the office, told council members the report examined traffic stop data collected under the Racial and Identity Profiling Act between April 2022 and September 2025.
During that period, he said, approximately 760,000 individuals were stopped by Los Angeles police officers.
More than two-thirds of those stops resulted only in a warning, with no further enforcement action.
Nearly half occurred in four council districts — 8, 9, 14 and 15 — accounting for about 48% of all pretextual stops, according to the report.
Flatt said the data also revealed stark racial disparities.
“Eighty-six percent of pretextual stops involve individuals perceived by officers to be Black or Latino,” he told the committee.
Additional research presented during the hearing reinforced those findings.
Jessie Borden of Catalyst California said Black residents account for 27% to 32% of stops for minor traffic violations while representing only about 8” of Los Angeles’ population.
“In other words,” Borden said, “Black residents are being stopped about six times their share of the population.”
City Council President Marqueece Harris-Dawson, who introduced the motion under discussion, said the data reflects long-standing disparities in policing.
“Pretextual stops are racially biased and ineffective,” Harris-Dawson told the committee. “They do not deliver greater safety — neither traffic safety nor crime reduction — in any demonstrable way.”
Harris-Dawson said many Black families have what he described as “the talk” with their children before they begin driving.
“Before you can operate a car, your family has the talk about what to do if you’re pulled over by police,” he said. “Keep your hands on the steering wheel. Don’t raise your voice. Don’t make sudden movements — because one small thing can result in serious injury or death.”
He also shared a recent personal experience.
“As a member of this council driving in a government-issued vehicle, I’ve been stopped four times — as recently as Wednesday,” Harris-Dawson said. “It was as traumatic on Wednesday as it was when I was 16.”
Several residents described similar experiences during public testimony.
Sequaria McCoy told the committee her nephew died following a police encounter that began as a stop.
“I can’t talk to him. I can’t hug him or kiss him because of a pretextual stop,” McCoy said. “He was on his bicycle in a crosswalk when police chased him down two streets and shot him.”
“We’re losing Black men and women and children — and Latino men and women and children — because of these stops,” she added.
Brian Jointer described being stopped while driving his sons to celebrate his oldest child’s birthday.
“I was driving with my sons, 14 and 13, when LAPD officers pulled me over for a supposed issue with my license plate,” Jointer said. “What followed was an encounter where I was stopped at gunpoint with my boys in the car.”
After officers searched the vehicle for 45 minutes, he said they found nothing.
“No ticket. No explanation. Just humiliation,” he said. “That was my sons’ first interaction with police. And it pains me to think that this is their first experience as young Black men.”
Community violence intervention advocate Skipp Townsend described the generational trauma police encounters can create.
“Now I have seven sons of my own,” he said. “And I’m transferring that trauma to them.”
Rev. Eddie Anderson said his first police stop came when he was a teenager.
“When I was 14 years old, it was the first time I sat on the curb because police officers didn’t think we were somebody,” Anderson said.
Policy advocates argued that searches conducted during traffic stops rarely uncover evidence of crimes.
Shelby Rickardson, who works with the PUSH LA coalition, said many searches conducted during pretextual stops fail to produce contraband or evidence.
“These searches are not producing safety outcomes,” Rickardson told the committee.
“If these stops do not improve safety,” she said, “the policy choice is clear — Los Angeles should end them.”
Los Angeles Police Department officials defended the practice, arguing traffic stops sometimes uncover serious crimes.
LAPD Capt. Shannon Whyte acknowledged concerns about racial disparities but said the numbers must be understood in context.
“It pains me to see the numbers high,” Whyte told the committee. “But it’s not just about the census — it’s also about what is going on in the community and who victims are describing as their suspects and perpetrators in crimes.” Assemblyman Isaac Bryan, who attended the hearing, said the issue has been debated for more than a decade.
“Pretextual stops for things like broken taillights disproportionately affect Black and brown Angelenos and people living in certain ZIP codes,” Bryan said.
“If the city of Los Angeles gets this right,” he added, “it can save lives, increase public safety and deepen trust between communities and law enforcement.”
Despite the extensive testimony, the committee took no formal action, directing staff to continue analyzing potential policy changes.
The hearing later shifted to a separate agenda item examining alternative approaches to traffic enforcement.
Stephen Oduntan is a freelance writer for Wave Newspapers.
