Fix policing

Re “Virginia could make it harder for officers to pull you over. Police aren’t happy.” (Oct. 11): I urge Gov. Ralph Northam to send this bill back to the General Assembly with many changes. Those vehicle equipment offenses were codified into law for the purpose of making it safe to drive on Virginia roads, not as a tool for law enforcement to harass minority communities. The fact that some police use it that way is the problem that needs to be addressed. Perhaps a database that keeps track of the officers who make a stop and the demographics of the driver could be used. Develop a method to identify the officers prone to harass and hold them accountable.

I feel some comfort in knowing that the other vehicles on the roads that I drive on have been deemed safe every year by a certified technician. While everyone should do that because it’s the right thing to do, the fact is not everyone would do that were it not for police enforcement. If a vehicle’s brake lights are malfunctioning, I would like the police to be able to stop that vehicle and give the driver a citation. Driving at night with no headlights? That’s OK according to this bill, unless the police have another reason to make the stop. Tell that to the loved ones of someone killed in a head-on collision.

The nation, and Virginia, needs criminal justice reform to address racial disparities, and I have no doubt that “pretextual policing” is in fact happening. That phrase itself identifies where the problem lies. It is in the policing, not in the laws.

Patrick Clark, Norfolk