Four East Haven police officers were arrested in January for allegedly targeting and harassing Latinos.
Racial profiling law passes in Connecticut
By the CNN Wire Staff
(CNN) – A few months after four East Haven police officers were arrested for allegedly targeting and harassing Latinos, Connecticut's state legislature passed a bill Monday to beef up safeguards against racial profiling.
Titled "An Act Concerning Traffic Stop Information," SB 364 mandates that local and state law enforcement agencies adopt their own "written policy that prohibits the stopping, detention or search of any person when such action is solely motivated by considerations of race, color, ethnicity, age, gender or sexual orientation, and the action would constitute a violation of the civil rights of the person."
In addition, the legislation sets up reporting requirements for police whenever they conduct traffic stop, as well as a system for citizen complaints or for state authorities to collect and assess pertinent data from municipal departments.
Initially passed by the state Senate on April 19, the legislation made it through the House of Representatives on Monday and is now expected to be signed by Gov. Dannel Malloy.
"I will continue to insist that every effort is taken to protect individual rights in every community and that racial profiling is eliminated," Malloy said Monday in a statement. "This is a real problem that deserves a real solution, and my administration is committed to carrying out the spirit and letter of this law."
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