The Detroit Police Department under the direction of Chief Warren Evans has recently gone hyper-vigilant when it comes to choosing who gets stopped and who gets a pass. Officers are being told to pull over anyone, no matter how small the law violation and an effort to decrease crime in the city.
This article from The Detroit News points out small traffic violations like a broken taillight used to be no big deal in the city, whereas the same taillight would get you pulled over in the suburbs. The city police are attempting to lower crime by tackling even these smallest of infractions.
The hopes in pulling people over from small things like a cracked windshield or a brake light is that police will discover more serious violations once the car is stopped. Officers have apparently caught drunk drivers, drug users, and unregistered firearms in this manner.
Many critics are concerned with the sort of gung-ho patrol going on. They point to an email sent by Inspector Eric Jones to a police sergeant stating that those officers who don’t make enough stops during the month will be “disciplined.” Critics say this statement supports quotas, which have been shown to encourage misuse of power including racial profiling.
Drug arrests have climbed exponentially since Evans took over the department. Homicides have subsequently declined. However, citizen complaints about the actions of officers have climbed with the new approach to crime prevention.
Regardless of what the Chief has directed his officers to do, law requires them to have probable cause before pulling you over. This is just one rule that officers have to follow in the citation and arrests procedures.
If you have questions about how your case was handled by the police, call our lawyers today. When you are facing charges, we will examine every detail about your arrest as well as any searches and seizures that occurred.
Whether you are just facing possession of marijuana charges or even a firearms offense, we are here to help you work through your criminal legal problems.
