A bill taking effect on Jan. 1, 2024, will change the framing of conversations between law enforcement and drivers during traffic stops in California.
“It changes things because a law enforcement officer is going to be required to tell the driver the reason for the stop rather than just asking questions designed to get information from the driver,” Attorney Dan Eaton said describing Assembly Bill 2773.
Eaton and others said that information obtained from drivers would often shape the interaction.
“These open-ended inquiries sometimes do reveal a lot of information and result in an escalation of a situation that could have been triggered by something as simple as some equipment defect, a broken taillight, for example,” Eaton said.
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AB 2773 is one of many public safety bills that moved through the California legislative process led by Assemblymember Chris Holden.
“These bills follow up on the public service we have promised our public and I hope my colleagues see that too,” Assemblymember Holden said.
Drivers who spoke with NBC 7 are supportive of the changes.
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“If they have to tell you why they stopped, you it will be harder for them to stop you for no reason, so I think that’s good, productive and really important,” Jace Loo said.
A few exceptions exist in time-sensitive circumstances.
“Now, there's an important exception here in the bill, and a law enforcement officer doesn't have to do that if the law enforcement has a reasonable belief that there's an imminent risk to life or property, such as instances where a stop is related to kidnapping or terrorism,” Eaton said.
