The Shelby County Sheriff's Office operations rely on the use of pretextual traffic stops—pulling someone over for non-moving violations such as a broken tail light, a cracked windshield, a headlight out, a broken car bumper, and more. Pretextual stops (also known as crimes of poverty) turn low-level traffic infractions into costly fines, arrests, and the brutalization and murder of Memphians such as Darrius Stewart. 2021 was the most deadly year for Americans and police shootings on record to date, with 1134 shootings. 117 of those deaths occurred during a traffic stop. Memphis is no different. Several Black men were shot and/or killed by local law enforcement in 2021 during a traffic stop. This year in 2023 Tyre Nichols was beaten to death by MPD and most recently the murder of Jarveon Hudspeth at the hands of the Shelby County Sheriff's Office.

The Shelby County Sheriff's Office has not been forthcoming or transparent in sharing the data we have requested about the use of pretextual stops. Here is what we know, nationwide:

-Traffic stops are the number 1 interaction with police.
-Black men are 20% more likely to be stopped than white drivers and 1.5-2x more likely to be searched once stopped despite being less likely to be carrying drugs, weapons, or other illegal contraband.
-There is no evidence that pretextual traffic stops reduce violent crime. Most arrests made in traffic stops are for low-level offenses.
-1 out of every 1000 Black men will be killed by police. Police killings are the 6th leading cause of death of young Black men.
-Pretextual traffic stops contribute to the cycle of poverty through fines and fees and even jail time if these fines and fees cannot be afforded.
-Traffic stops often end in civil asset forfeiture and seizures of property, and even if the case is dismissed it’s often too costly to go through a separate court process to retrieve your property.

Cities have a vested interest in continuing these practices, not because they work but because there is federal funding that supports them.

We want to end pretextual stops permanently here in Memphis, TN, and Shelby County. These stops are inherently classist and racist. They squeeze revenue from those who are least able to pay. They infringe on constitutional rights and they are deadly, especially to Black and Brown communities. We want to reduce the targeting of Black and Brown communities. We want safer communities. No one should die in a traffic stop.

We have multiple ordinances that will require transparency from the Shelby County Sheriff's Office about who they stop and why. Please sign our petition in support of the Shelby County Commission voting in favor of transparency and banning pretextual traffic stops in Memphis and Shelby County. We can’t wait. We need the Shelby County Commission to support this ordinance now. Lives depend on it.