Hennepin County Attorney Mary Moriarty announced on Wednesday that her office would discontinue prosecuting cases that step from “pretext” or low-level traffic stops.
The Attorney’s Office says stops for things like headlight issues, or broken tail lights target Black drivers disproportionately, and don’t result in enough serious criminal charges.
“Non-public-safety traffic stops do not protect public safety, and they actively harm our community, particularly our Black and Brown community members,” Moriarty said. “Speeding, distracted driving, driving under the influence, and blowing through stop signs threatens public safety and kills Minnesotans. We will continue to prosecute felony cases resulting from dangerous driving behavior.”…