BlogChron

In an effort to collect information about racial profiling nationwide, Rep. Sheila Jackson Lee introduced a bill that would collect data on stops for traffic violations by local law enforcement officers.

The Houston Democrat”s “Traffic Stops Along the Border Statistics Study Act of 2013″ would allow state and local police departments to trade their traffic-stop data for federal funds.  Jackson Lee submitted the measure to the House Judiciary Committee  on Jan. 3, the first day of the new Congress.

The proposal already is drawing criticism from conservatives and libertarians, who see it as another step by Big Government to collect information on average Americans. The libertarian web site American Vision News reported that Jackson Lee would “require state and local police departments to report broad information about all traffic stops into a national database under the control of the Justice Department.”

American Vision News suggested that the federal grants were an attempt “to buy off the local [police] departments.”

Jackson Lee’s measure does not mention a new “national database,” but it does authorize the Justice Department to conduct a nationwide study of traffic violations.

According to the Library of Congress, the bills also would:

perform an initial analysis of existing data, including complaints alleging and information concerning traffic stops motivated by race and other bias; and
gather specified data from a nationwide sample of jurisdictions, including the traffic infraction alleged to have been committed that led to the stop, identifying characteristics of the driver stopped, whether immigration status was questioned, and whether any warning or citation was issued as a result of the stop.

Jackson Lee’s proposal “authorizes the Attorney General to make grants to law enforcement agencies to collect and submit data.” To allay privacy concerns from law enforcement officials and civil liberties groups, the measure would forbid federal officials or the media from “revealing the identity of any individual who is stopped or any officer involved.”

Jackson Lee has been an outspoken critic of racial profiling. She has raised questions about some police officers targeting African American and Latino drivers.

Earlier last year, Jackson Lee joked about breaking traffic laws to make it from an event back to the Capitol in time to vote.

“And I don’t want anyone to hear about what traffic rule I have broken,” she told the audience as she left.