Directed Traffic Enforcement Patrols: Have "Best Intents" Produced Perverse Results?
Defense "win, " suppression and dismissal following unconstitutional stop.
A recent, defense-favorable, Eastern District of Michigan U.S. District Court decision, (which is being appealed by the U.S. Attorney’s Office), highlights the overlap that exists between so-called “proactive” traffic enforcement patrols and uneven treatment of racial and ethnic minorities . . .
. . . the Court based its ultimate decision -- suppressing a handgun because it was seized during an illegal traffic stop -- on its belief that at least one such “proactive traffic enforcement” stop was the product of an overactive, and unconstitutional, patrol.