A bill that would prohibit police officers from stopping motorists based solely on race or ethnicity was approved Tuesday by the Senate Federal and State Affairs Committee. The legislation now goes to the full Senate for consideration. Sen. David Haley, a Kansas City, Kan., Democrat and one of the bill's sponsors, said the measure would define the practice known as racial profiling for the first time in Kansas statutes. The measure is the result of a compromise between organizations representing minorities and law enforcement. In that compromise, a provision sought by supporters was eliminated. It would have made racial profiling a misdemeanor criminal offense. “This bill will not ban racial profiling, but it is a baby step toward easing the practice,” Haley said of the lack of punitive provisions in the measure. He added that a recent state study found that racial profiling did exist in some areas of the state. “Victims of racial profiling, of course, have known this for years — that they were being stopped because of their color,” he said. The measure would establish a 15-member task force to design a uniform method of collecting data on traffic stops. Another provision would require all law enforcement agencies to adopt policies on racial profiling within one year of the effective date of the legislation. [more]

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