The Ann Arbor Police Department stopped zero motorists for vehicle equipment issues in August. This is part of an ongoing effort by the city to pull over fewer Black motorists.
The last three months have seen vehicle equipment violation stops in the single digits since Ann Arbor City Police Chief Andre Anderson issued a policy and procedural order in May. The order is a step in enforcing Ann Arbor’s 2023 driving equality ordinance.
Cynthia Harrison serves on the Ann Arbor City Council. She says it took time for her and Chief Anderson to change the city’s police culture to focus less on minor violations.
“That’s my thought process around why it took some time, right? You got a police chief coming into a police department that, I will say, was based on the status quo.”
Harrison says reducing equipment violations is the first step in lowering the number of Blacks being pulled over by police.
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