Racial Profiling (H 8345, S 2976A)

Ten years after it was first introduced and three years after a near-compromise fell through at the last minute, legislation addressing racial profiling by law enforcement in Rhode Island passed the Senate in June. This bill prohibits the searching of juveniles and pedestrians except when law enforcement has reasonable suspicion or probable cause of criminal activity, resumed data collection, and made certain agreements between law enforcement and immigration officials public. Unfortunately, the bill died without a hearing in the House.