Judge dismisses S.F. police union suit targeting policy that limits traffic stops

"San Francisco's police commission in 2023 passed a historic policy restricting police officers from using pretext stops. The stops are disproportionately used against people of color and limiting them has shown improvements in racial disparities in policing. The union was, from the inception of the policy, opposed to it, and in October 2024 filed suit. It claimed that the policy prevented officers from obeying the state vehicle code, which it said should take precedence over city policy."

"San Francisco Superior Court Judge Joseph M. Quinn found "legal defects" in the police union's arguments against so-called pretext stops - a practice of stopping drivers for things like a broken taillight to question them or search their cars for criminal activity."

"The pretext stop policy brought the police commission to the forefront of city politics last year. It spurred the highly funded Proposition E in March 2024 to limit the commission's powers and reduce its oversight of the San Francisco police department. When he came into office, Mayor Daniel Lurie removed police commission Vice President Max Carter-Oberstone, who led the charge to limit pretext stops. Though Prop. E passed and Carter-Oberstone was ousted, the pretext stop policy remains in effect today."

San Francisco will retain a 2023 police commission policy restricting pretext traffic stops, after a judge dismissed the police union's lawsuit challenging the policy. San Francisco Superior Court Judge Joseph M. Quinn found legal defects in the police union's arguments and said the lawsuit failed to identify any case where complying with the state vehicle code would prevent following the pretext stop policy. The policy bars stops for minor infractions used primarily to investigate unrelated criminal activity. The stops have been disproportionately used against people of color, and limiting them has reduced racial disparities in policing. The policy survived political fallout from Proposition E and leadership changes, and remains in effect.

Read at Mission Local