LA City Council votes unanimously to BAN ‘barbaric,’ ‘uncivilized’ traffic stops
Council President Marqueece Harris-Dawson called armed responses to minor traffic violations “barbaric” and “wholly uncivilized.”
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Council President Marqueece Harris-Dawson called armed responses to minor traffic violations “barbaric” and “wholly uncivilized.”
The Los Angeles City Council voted unanimously this week to ban many types of traffic stops, placing new restrictions on “pretextual” stops to limit when police officers can pull drivers over for minor violations unless there is an immediate public safety concern.
According to The New York Post, the 14-0 vote by the Los Angeles City Council marks the latest effort by progressive lawmakers to reduce police-initiated encounters following years of pressure from criminal justice reform activists after the 2020 George Floyd riots.
Council President Marqueece Harris-Dawson, who has pushed the proposal alongside former Councilman Mike Bonin since 2020, described the effort as part of a broader shift in policing policy. “This is a big down payment,” Harris-Dawson said, calling armed responses to minor traffic violations “barbaric” and “wholly uncivilized.”
Under the new framework, officers would face tighter limits on conducting traffic stops for low-level violations. The policy also formally restricts consent searches unless officers have a separate legal justification, such as probable cause or a warrant. Officers would additionally be required to state the reason for a stop on body camera footage before questioning begins and document any additional suspicion that develops during the encounter.
The proposal now heads to the Board of Police Commissioners.
Opponents, including many law enforcement advocates, argue that proactive traffic enforcement remains an important policing tool used to recover illegal firearms, locate stolen vehicles, identify impaired drivers, and apprehend suspects with outstanding warrants.
According to the report, LAPD officers conducted more than 77,000 pretextual stops between 2022 and 2025. Police sources also noted that several of the policies highlighted by city leaders, including documenting stops and articulating legal justification for searches, already existed within LAPD training and department guidelines. The council’s action would codify many of those procedures into city law, increasing oversight and formalizing restrictions around traffic enforcement practices.
Harris-Dawson claimed that when he was recently stopped by police, it was racially motivated. However, it was later revealed that the stop involved the Los Angeles School Police near a high school and resulted in a traffic citation.
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