Much of our time spent in public is spent on our streets. This is also where Denverites are most likely to come in contact with police while walking, driving, biking, socializing or just simply being present. Data and first-hand experiences have shown us that people of color are disproportionately stopped by police and at times these interactions take serious, even deadly, turns. Therefore, The Denver Streets Partnership has been participating in the Task Force to Reimagine Policing and Public Safety, helping to shape recommendations specifically related to traffic enforcement and traffic safety. A key tenet of the newly released report, which includes a total of 112 recommendations, is to minimize unnecessary interaction of law enforcement and the criminal legal system with the community. Recommendations particularly relevant to the goal of creating streets that are truly safe for everyone include the following:
Decriminalize traffic offenses often used for pretextual stops and prohibit Denver Police from conducting searches in relation to petty offenses or traffic violations.
Stops for minor offenses — such as fare evasion, a broken taillight, and other minor infractions that pose no threat to the safety of others — are often used as cause for body and/or vehicle searches resulting in escalation of routine stops. Recategorizing these as civil offenses can be more impactful in preventing this behavior while also avoiding hefty fines for people who often cannot afford them and perpetuates systemic racial inequities.
Remove police officers from routine traffic stops and crash reporting and explore non-police alternatives that incentivize behavior change to eliminate traffic fatalities.
Across the country, cities have begun to rethink how traffic enforcement and crashes should be handled with many cities including Berkeley and New York opting to put their local Departments of Transportation in charge. Giving DOT’s a more active role also leads to safer streets overall as they get a closer look at where and why crashes are happening and can design streets to mitigate future occurrences.
Eliminate the need for traffic enforcement by auditing and investing in the built environment to promote safe travel behavior.
Many traffic offenses can be prevented by better design. Speed bumps, chicanes, bulb outs, and other infrastructure changes have been proven to slow speeds. Many steps can be taken to decrease interactions between people walking, biking, scooting, and driving. Physically separated space such as sidewalks and protected bike lanes create clear intentions for the space and help prevent crashes.
DSP is continuing to partner with the task force on further recommendations and to monitor follow through of this report. A shifting of roles on our streets has life saving potential and Denver has an opportunity to be a leader in making these changes a reality.