Progress Report to the Connecticut General Assembly

Monday, November 26, 2012: Informational Forum at Central Connecticut State University. Click HERE for CT-N recording.



Wednesday, December 12, 2012

Informational Forum at the Bridgeport YMCA, Harrison Apartments, 651 State Street 

Hosted by State Representative Andres Ayala

On December 12, 2012, the recently established Racial Profiling Prohibition Project will hold a public informational session at the Bridgeport YMCA to provide updates regarding the Alvin W. Penn Racial Prohibition Act that prohibits racial profiling concerning traffic stops in Connecticut. Attendees will also have the opportunity to engage in a dialogue about improving upon these efforts. This event is part of a series that will bring this discussion to various regions in the state. 

Moderating the event will be co-chair of the Racial Profiling Prohibition Project advisory board, William Dyson. The moderator, project staff and panelists will update the community on recent changes to the law and provide details on the project’s progress thus far. A Q&A will follow the panel.

Date: Wednesday, December 12, 2012

Time:5:30pm to 7:30pm

Location: Bridgeport, State Street YMCA (Harrison Apartments)

Registration:Click here to register for the event

Racial profiling continues to be an issue that impacts a number of very diverse communities across the country. It gained increased attention in the state of Connecticut recently when an investigation concluded that the East Haven Police Department engaged in a pattern or practice of discrimination against Latinos in violation of the Constitution and federal law. After drawing national attention for this unfortunate situation, Connecticut stands to be an example for other states hoping to strengthen the relationship between law enforcement and the communities they serve.

Connecticut's anti-racial profiling law was first enacted in 1999 (Public Act 99-198), and was entitled The Alvin W. Penn Racial Profiling Prohibition Act.  The law (Connecticut General Statutes Sections 54-1l and 54-1m) prohibits any law enforcement agency from stopping, detaining, or searching any motorist when the stop is motivated solely by considerations of the race, color, ethnicity, age, gender or sexual orientation. 

During the 2012 legislative and special sessions the CT General Assembly made several significant changes to the law known as the “Alvin W. Penn Racial Profiling Prohibition Act.”  A key provision of the new legislation shifts responsibility for its implementation to the Office of Policy and Management, in consultation with a newly established Racial Profiling Prohibition Advisory Board.

Another change made by Public Act 12-74 is the requirement that, by July 1, 2013, the Office of Policy and Management (OPM) establish and implement a standardized method for police agencies to record traffic stop information and report it to OPM for analysis.  OPM must also establish a method for reporting complaints from citizens alleging discrimination.  Until such methods are established, police agencies are required to continue collecting traffic stop information between July 1, 2012 (the act’s effective date) and July 1, 2013 in the same manner as had been required by the law prior to July 1, 2012.  Although police agencies must continue to collect and maintain the data, they are not required to submit it to OPM unless requested to do so.

The legislation also advances to October 1, 2013, from October 1, 2012, the first annual report DESPP and local police departments must provide OPM on traffic stop data summaries. It also makes technical and conforming changes.

The Institute for Municipal and Regional Policy at Central CT State University (IMRP), in consultation with the Office of Policy and Management (OPM), has established a Racial Profiling Prohibition Advisory Board to help oversee the design, evaluation, and management of the racial profiling study mandated by P.A. 12-74 “An Act Concerning Traffic Stop Information.” The IMRP is working with the Advisory Board and all appropriate parties to enhance the collection and analysis of traffic stop data in Connecticut.   Resources for the project are being made available through the National Highway Traffic and Safety Administration (NHTSA) grant, as administered through the Connecticut Department of Transportation.