Statewide model standards sought for safer traffic stops

Traffic stops are one of the most dangerous encounters in the policing world for both the officers and drivers.

When tragedies occur, we hear about them through intensive media coverage, and the House Public Safety Finance and Policy Committee heard Tuesday from Valerie Castile, mother of Philando Castile, who was fatally shot during a 2016 traffic stop for a broken taillight in Falcon Heights.

Media accounts at the time, including the New York Times, reported that Philando Castile had been stopped by the police at least 49 times in 13 years often for minor traffic and equipment violations, most of which were dismissed.

She testified in support of a bill to develop model standards to make traffic stops safer by teaching techniques to reduce racial profiling and de-escalation skills, then applying those standards to peace officers statewide.

Sponsored by Rep. Cedrick Frazier (DFL-New Hope), HF686 would require the Peace Officer Standards and Training Board to develop a model traffic stop policy by Dec. 31, 2025. It was held over for future consideration.

Castile praised the bill for establishing a model that would be a foundation for police behavior that would build trust between law enforcement and communities. “We all want to go home at the end of the day; at the end of the traffic stop, we all want to go home.”

The POST Board sets rules and standards relating to the selection, training and licensing of peace officers and part-time peace officers in Minnesota. It also investigates allegations of peace officer misconduct and has the authority to discipline officers.

“House File 686 ensures that every Minnesotan is treated equitably no matter their race or where they live by establishing clear, consistent protocols that prevent racial profiling and unnecessary escalations,” Frazier said.

The bill would appropriate $200,000 in fiscal year 2025 and $500,000 in fiscal year 2026 from the General Fund to the POST Board to support the development and implementation of the safe traffic stop model policy, curriculum alignment and continuing education requirements.

Peace officer opposition

Rep. Bidal Duran (R-Bemidji), who has a law enforcement background, said the bill reads like a criticism of police practices and police training.

“When I look at this from the cop’s side of things, you’re trying to legislate morality, you’re trying to legislate people’s feelings and thoughts and reactions in certain situations.”

Jeff Potts, executive director of the Minnesota Chiefs of Police Association, voiced a similar concern, saying that statewide model standards would be overly restrictive and would not take into account variations in different police jurisdictions.

He said such a model would remove necessary flexibility from officers who must make split-second decisions to protect themselves and the public.

Frazier countered that public safety works best when both the police and the public know what the standard procedures are. “Standardized procedures do not take away officer discretion, they strengthen it.”