Top officers have expressed grave concerns over a proposed plan at LA City Hall that would remove the authority of police officers to detain drivers for traffic violations, transferring this responsibility to civilians. They have described the plan as “extremely dangerous.”
In a unanimous decision on Wednesday, the city council supported a revised proposal aimed at limiting police officers’ ability to conduct pre-textual traffic stops, passing it with a 14-0 vote.
The current proposal imposes stricter regulations on police traffic stops. However, it also opens the door for more radical changes that could eventually allow non-sworn individuals to take over these responsibilities.
The Los Angeles Police Protective League voiced concerns to The Post on Thursday, warning that such a shift in responsibility could prove “deadly” and likening the potential outcome to a “demolition derby” on city streets.
A spokesperson for the League stated, “There seems to be a misconception among some anti-police advocates that non-sworn peace officers can legally detain drivers for traffic violations.”
They further emphasized, “This is not only against state law but also poses significant dangers. Failing to enforce traffic laws will lead to more fatalities and injuries, turning Los Angeles streets into a chaotic scene reminiscent of a demolition derby.”
The vote on Wednesday was a watered-down version of what far-left City Hall leaders have called for since the anti-cop movement exploded in 2020.
Council president Marqueece Harris-Dawson spearheaded the original motion that sought to tear up who handles traffic enforcement in LA.
His proposal wanted to strip the LAPD from handling minor offenses such as routine stops for broken taillights and expired registrations but also more serious ones like crash response and DUIs.
Instead they wanted to mull handing the powers to unarmed civilian traffic officers by expanding the Los Angeles Department of Transportation’s role and bringing in automated enforcement technology.
Harris-Dawson framed it as a moral shift, condemning armed responses to minor violations as “barbaric” and “wholly uncivilized.”
But LAPD Chief Jim McDonnell has consistently defended police traffic stops as critical in recovering illegal guns, disrupting gang activity and busting drug dealers.
The original idea quickly ran into a brick wall, with leaders struggling to answer basic questions such as what would civilian officers be able to do if a suspect resisted.
By the time the vote was held on Wednesday much of the proposal had been diluted and the long held ambition to move to a non-cop army of traffic officers was removed for now.
The plan that was passed instead limits police to only pull drivers over if their equipment violation is a clear public safety threat, as well as making them state clearly on body cameras why it was needed.
Yet fears it could be expanded were escalated when Harris-Dawson this week called the new laws a “down payment.”
The motion now heads to the Police Commission.
