Catalyst California Calls for Alternatives to Traffic Safety That Do Not Rely on Armed Law Enforcement

Media Contact:
Ronald Simms Jr, Senior Communications Manager (202) 270-0936

LOS ANGELES – Less than one month into 2023, the Los Angeles Police Department (LAPD) has killed three unarmed Black and Brown men experiencing mental health crises: Keenan Anderson, Oscar Sanchez, and Takar Smith. Keenan, the most recent victim, was in the process of seeking help from officers because he had just been in a car accident.In response, they brutally tased him 6 times over the span of 42 seconds.

In light of these homicides, Chauncee Smith, Senior Manager of Reimagine Justice & Safety at Catalyst California (formerly Advancement Project California), issued the following statement: “The unjust killing of numerous people of color by law enforcement during routine interactions, like traffic stops or calls for help, clearly shows that our public safety infrastructure must shift from criminalization and execution to care and wellbeing.  We need more social workers, behavioral health professionals, and unarmed community safety personnel.  The City of L.A. must double-down on investing in community-based organizations that can provide those services.” 

John Dobard, Catalyst California’s Vice President of Policy & Programs added further context: “Three years after the death of George Floyd, the grim reality is that little has changed. Instead, police budgets have further swelled, and impunity has continued to reign. The LAPD received $3.2 billion in funding last year—more than 14 times the City’s budget for housing ($216 million). Rather than decrease crime or make residents feel safer, this has expanded the potential for deadly police interactions.”

Based on recent figures from the City, Smith added that “despite enormous investments in the LAPD and, in turn, racially biased pretextual stops, traffic safety outcomes have failed to improve over time. Data show, for example, that the number of traffic deaths reached a twenty year high in 2022—totaling 312, compared to just 242 in 2003, and a low of 157 in 2011.” To add, Catalyst California’s analysis of LAPD traffic stop data showed that Black people are five times more likely to be pulled over than Whites, stops disproportionately occur in low-income neighborhoods, and a tremendous amount of officer time is wasted on stops for minor traffic violations. 

To address these challenges, Catalyst California is sponsoring SB 50 (authored by state Senator Steven Bradford), which would limit law enforcement’s ability to stop people for minor traffic infractions, such as broken taillights or tinted windows. All too often, vehicle equipment or administrative issues are used as a basis (or “pretext”) to stop people.  Once stopped, officers often interrogate, search, and use force on people of color under the guise of crime prevention even though research shows that those methods are extremely ineffective and result in a litany of harms—including dehumanization, degraded public health, economic extraction through fees and fines, physical brutality, and lost lives. In addition to SB 50, Catalyst California, in collaboration with the ACLU of Southern California and community partners, recently outlined a comprehensive set of long-term solutions in Reimagining Community Safety in California.

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Catalyst California (formerly Advancement Project California) advocates for racial justice by building power and transforming public systems. We partner with communities of color, conduct innovative research, develop policies for actionable change, and shift money and power back into our communities.