LOUISVILLE, Ky. (WHAS11) -- It might not have officially taken effect yet, but Louisville Metro Police Chief Steve Conrad says the traffic stop policy changes that he introduced at the beginning of May have already started seeing results ahead of the August 1 implementation date.
According to Conrad, who spoke Wednesday afternoon before the Louisville Metro Council's Public Safety Committee, the number of self-initiated traffic stops in the three weeks following the policy change's introduction on May 9 was down 44 percent when compared to the same time period before the introduction.
Conrad said the policy changes were a result of criticism from the community about LMPD's traffic stops, which critics have claimed to unfairly target communities of color, mostly in Louisville's West End, which police have deemed as areas of high crime. Last August, a traffic stop recorded on camera showed a police officer pulling over then 18-year-old Tae-Ahn Lea in West Louisville for what the officer said was for making a wide turn, which caused an outcry from the community who saw the video as unnecessarily aggressive policing.
"If you're in a car, have your hands directly on the steering wheel. Say 'yes sir,' 'no sir.' Look them straight in the eye. Do not appear nervous. Try not to sweat. Try not to twitch," Councilwoman Jessica Green, D.-District 1, said. "This is the way that we live."
For Green, who chairs the Public Safety Committee, those are the words she said she tells her son when it comes to dealing with police, an unfortunate reality she said is all too common in many communities of color.
Police are trying to mend that relationship, which has been steeped in mistrust for decades, and several councilmembers and Chief Conrad believe the changes to the traffic stop policy is a step in the right direction.
"I at least want people to feel, like, listen, your lives matter, what you go through matters, your experiences matter," Green said.
But some council members questioned whether this change would handcuff police officers and hurt in the fight against violent crime.
"We would never ask our fire department as the fire gets bigger and hotter and rages on to put less water on it," Councilman Mark Fox, D.-District 13, who is also a retired police major, said.
Conrad said the aggressive self-initiated traffic stops in the past few years were a response to the high rise in violent crime in 2016.
"Councilman [Bill] Hollander may have summed it up best," Conrad said. "He said, 'Chief, you may have made this city safer but what good is it if you've made everyone mad in the process?'"
According to Conrad, only 5.5 percent of traffic stops ended in officers finding drugs, guns or both in cars in 2018.
"Okay, so one in 10 went to jail, the other nine went away mad," Conrad said.
Under the new policy, Conrad is prioritizing traffic stops that either address immediate safety concerns or are part of an investigation. Conrad said that means officers will be less likely to stop someone for making a wide turn without any other cars present or for having a crack in their windshield, even though both issues should be addressed.
Conrad has also identified certain actions during traffic stops that have caused anger, like handcuffing a person before an arrest and asking people to leave their cars. Conrad said the new policy will not prevent officers from doing so during a traffic stop but will require them to give a good reason in their reports if they are to do so.
Contact reporter Dennis Ting at dting@whas11.com. Follow him on Twitter (@DennisJTing) and Facebook.
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