Politics & Government

Lawmakers: Racial Profiling Law is Being Ignored

Following a federal investigation into the actions of East Haven Police, state legislators are pushing for the Racial Profiling Prohibition Act to be properly enforced.

State lawmakers gathered at a press conference on Wednesday to express their concerns about racial profiling following a federal investigation, which found that East Haven police officers were targeting Hispanic drivers, according to the Connecticut Mirror.

Rep. Kelvin Roldan, D-Hartford told reporters that if the Racial Profiling Prohibition Act was being properly enforced, the federal investigation would not have been necessary. According to the Mirror, only 27 police departments are filing the required annual reports documenting traffic stops and the data that is available hasn't been analyzed since 2001.

“More than 10 years ago, as the Mayor of Stamford, I was proud to stand with the men and women of the  on Martin Luther King Day to announce that we did not tolerate racial profiling and would lead the efforts to ensure its elimination," Gov. Dannel Malloysaid in response to the news conference. "As Governor, I will continue to insist that every effort is taken to protect individual rights in every community, and that racial profiling is eliminated."

Find out what's happening in Westportwith free, real-time updates from Patch.

Malloy added that he has directed members of his administration and the Department of Transportation to make sure police departments collect and submit the required data.  

The Connecticut Committee for the U.S. Commission on Civil Rights  to examine the state’s racial profiling law and whether it needed to be revised.

Find out what's happening in Westportwith free, real-time updates from Patch.


Get more local news delivered straight to your inbox. Sign up for free Patch newsletters and alerts.

We’ve removed the ability to reply as we work to make improvements. Learn more here