DETROIT JUSTICE CENTER LEGAL SERVICES AND ADVOCACY PRACTICE
TRAFFIC ENFORCEMENT TOOLKIT FOR CITY COUNCILS THE PROBLEM Black drivers and other people of color are pulled over by police officers and ticketed at disproportionately higher rates than their white counterparts. Often, they are ticketed for offenses that do not have a true impact on public safety, but rather, offenses that generate revenue off the backs of poor people. This manner of policing simply criminalizes the poor and does not serve to make communities safer. When an individual living under the poverty threshold is faced with the decision between applying those hard-earned funds to fix a broken taillight versus using that money to pay rent, utilities, or food for one’s family, the decision is a clear cut one--survival. Once hit with one unaffordable ticket, individuals then become trapped in a cycle of tickets and are thrown into a debtorincarceration pipeline that removes otherwise hard working residents from communities. There are more effective ways to achieve safety and foster growth in communities.
THE SOLUTION Below are actions that city councils should immediately take to stop the criminalization of poverty, and actually invest in the safety of communities. •
Establish a fund for financially distressed drivers who need assistance paying costs associated with defective vehicle equipment. Instead of ticketing drivers for faulty equipment, police officers can give the driver a voucher to request repair money from the fund.
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Pass resolutions calling for police to stop pulling people over for offenses not related to public safety and to stop charging people with offenses that criminalize poor people.
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Review and repeal local ordinances that penalize poverty and impose criminal and/or financial penalties on people for offenses not directly related to public safety.
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Fund district courts based on the court’s operating costs, not based on how much revenue the court brings in.
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Create meaningful mechanisms for residents and community groups to participate in the budget process and set reinvestment priorities.
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Commit to decreasing police department budgets and the size of police departments.
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Begin divesting from police budgets and investing in community resources and services such as access to affordable housing, livable wages, rental assistance, public education, health care, public transportation, food security, employment, income support, sobering centers, psychological services, public defender offices, paid parental leave, quality and affordable child care, youth programs, recreational centers, libraries, community-led restorative and transformative justice services, and community-led violence prevention and response programs.
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Where local restorative and transformative justice programs do not yet exist, city councils should create a body outside the police department that engages the community in restorative and transformative justice practices for victims who are not interested in pursuing a remedy through the police and the punishment system.
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Create a group of non-law enforcement first responders who are highly trained in de-escalation, mediation, and conflict resolution. This community-led team should be rooted in communityinformed practices to provide crisis support and care, and respond to mental health, substance abuse, and other needs of vulnerable community members.
To read our full report on the traffic enforcement system, visit
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