Philadelphia bans traffic stops for minor infractions

PHILADELPHIA (AP) — Philadelphia’s mayor has ordered police to stop pulling over drivers for low-level offenses that critics say lead to disproportionate stops of minority drivers. Mayor Jim Kenney’s order Wednesday makes Philadelphia the largest city government in the U.S. to ban what are sometimes called pretextual stops. The order bans officers from pulling over vehicles solely for things like improper registration stickers or single broken taillights. Advocates for law enforcement say such stops can uncover illegal drugs and weapons. But critics say the practice has led to Black and Latino motorists being unfairly stopped and searched and sometimes being detained for small infractions.