A bill that would prohibit local governments from limiting the ability of a law enforcement agency to conduct routine traffic stops passed the Tennessee Senate on Thursday.
The bill, SB 2572/HB 1931, now heads to Governor Bill Lee’s desk.
The bill’s sponsor, State Senator Brent Taylor (R-Memphis) applauded its passage on Thursday, saying, “I am grateful to my colleagues for understanding how important routine traffic stops are to restore law and order to our community.”
It’s time to take handcuffs off police and put them on criminals where they belong. My efforts to Make Memphis Matter are paying off, and I’m doing it for YOU! I’m working so our families can flourish.
— Senator Brent Taylor (@SenBrentTaylor) March 14, 2024
Taylor (pictured above) introduced the bill this legislative session, as well as many other crime-related bills, as part of his ongoing effort to “make Memphis matter.”
“It’s time to take handcuffs off police and put them on criminals where they belong. My efforts to Make Memphis Matter are paying off, and I’m doing it for YOU! I’m working so our families can flourish,” Taylor said. “I am dedicated to doing all I can to get crime under control. Thank you for standing with me and for contacting your elected representatives to support this bill. It made a difference, but we can’t stop now. We must continue to work to save our city.”
“Tennessee cannot be successful if its most famous city is sliding into chaos,” Taylor added.
The Memphis City Council recently passed an ordinance prohibiting the Memphis Police Department from initiating pretextual traffic stops for minor traffic violations.
The city council’s ordinance would be null and void if the governor signs Taylor’s bill.
Taylor previously noted that “many major crimes are solved with routine traffic stops.”
Meanwhile, the American Civil Liberties Union (ACLU) of Tennessee denounced the passage of the bill, accusing state lawmakers of “rolling back much-needed police reforms” that are “deeply tied to white supremacy.”
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Kaitlin Housler is a reporter at The Tennessee Star and The Star News Network. Follow Kaitlin on X / Twitter.
Photo “Senator Brent Taylor” by Senator Brent Taylor. Background Photo “Tennessee State Senate” by Antony-22. CC BY-SA 4.0.
There should be nothing routine about traffic stops. They’re often about money.